The 24th Hunger Games
by Razzella
Summary: Follow a story of sibling rivalry and broken romance in this twisted rendition of the 24th Hunger Games - where life isn't fair and neither are the tributes.
1. Chapter 1

The 24th Hunger Games.

It wasn't anything unusual or frustrating for the members of District 1, however, they were never exactly happy to send their children off to die. It was something Cypress had noticed, over the years before the time of her first reaping. Though named for the black silk, the small girl was actually very pale, and held a sickly look no matter what season she found herself in. Her name was given by her jet-black curls, which had made themselves well-seen at a very young age - very unlike her elder brother Pekins' blond ones. There was a lot of scandal behind the small girls' existence, because of this, but no soul within her district would have the heart to tell her as much, with those big, innocent green eyes staring them down. Not after she would prance through the streets, handing out food to the poor; after she treated their ill pets and baked cookies for their children's' class. No, no one would dare spread the rumors after the girl grew old enough to find such a tender, kind personality.

That might have been the cause of the uproar, when the woman they called Peggy drew her name. Cypress Poteert - age fifteen, and had yet to say a word. This would, of course, pose a problem when interview time came around, and no one would be able to say anything besides, "She was always very sweet. Not in her words, but in her actions." because no one had ever grown to know her. As the small girl approached the stage, her calm demeanor seemed unfazed by the people around her; their behavior didn't appear to bother her. It wasn't until Peggy turned - a bit too cheerfully - towards the girl and smiled, that her normally pleasantly opened eyes narrowed into a deadly stare.

But even among the wails of apparent anguish, no one volunteered to save her life. They instead, chose to mourn a wonderful child, friend, companion, and peace-keeper - but this didn't upset, or surprise her. She would have never have even dreamed of someone taking her place - it was simply an outrageous thought! When the crowd calmed, the drawing continued.

"Well, you must be a popular little gall!" Peggy giggled, as if unbothered by the dirty look Cypress had given her.

"Let's continue!" She chimed, reaching into the male tributes bowl. A pang of fear hit the raven-haired girls' heart suddenly as the thought of battling one of her friends popped into her head. She could never even imagine hurting any of the people of District 1, much less one of the boys she had grown to be friends with. Names started speeding through her head, people she knew, their faces staring her down - Wigan, Tulle, Onyx, Toile, Calcite, Citrine, Jasper-

"Pekin Poteert!"

- her brother.

* * *

><p>The horror had worn off.<p>

Cypress and her eldest brother sat side-by side on the train. He had not attempted to comfort or guilt her, for which she was grateful; she was too busy being tangled up in her own mind - debating the legality of the situation, mostly - to really offer him any of either. It wasn't their choice, or their fault - and yet here they sat. She guessed karma was biting him on the ass for something she was unaware of, but why was she being punished with him? Why was she the one who had to face him in a battle to the death?  
>It was then she looked at him, a deep frown settling onto her face as she examined his every feature - trying to guess his thoughts. His brown eyes were gazing off into the distance though, with the same unemotional glimmer to them. He had yet to say a word - from the moment he took his place next of her on stage it was as if he had decided to mock her silence. The words she wanted so desperately to say would never come - how much she loved him, and how sorry she was this had happened to them. She would never cry on his shoulder and demand an answer as to why. No, those things were beyond her.<p>

So she took his hand instead.

It was only then he looked at her, with her vision slowly beginning to swim. His face seemed to soften as he squeezed it in his own. He was twice her size, both in height and in width, so when he squeezed there was always a tentative, gentle feel behind it. After all, one squeeze too hard would crush the small extension of her arm.

"Don't cry, Cypress." His voice was husky; far too deep for a boy who was barely seventeen. He pulled her close, holding her tightly against his chest and leaning down to her ear.

"It'll all be okay," He whispered, though she heard the slight crack of his composure. "It'll all be okay." He repeated, as if trying to reassure himself more than her. This was, of course, when their mentor decided to walk in. The pair was unalarmed, and held their hug a minute longer before pulling apart.

"So," The woman was about Cypresses own size, and she immediately knew the face. Her name was Spinel - Victor of the 12th Hunger Games. "This must really suck for you guys." She said it so awkwardly, that Pekin actually laughed. The girls blond hair was long, and had been braided over her left shoulder - leaving the tip of her hair brushing against her knee. She was beautiful, even with the dark scar across her collarbone. Cypress vaguely remembered her teacher showing the clip in which she gained the scar last year before the Hunger Games - when the male tribute from District Five had tried to slit her throat. It was called a miracle that she survived, though the raven-haired girl acknowledged it as a show of skill.

"You have no idea." Pekin responded to her attempt at conversation, standing and raising his hand to shake hers. Cypress simply stared for a long moment at the exchange before following his lead, though bowing her head instead of managing any verbal response.

"A mute, eh?" Her blue eyes lit up at her joke, though they quickly dimmed as Pekins nodded behind the small girl.

"That could be inconvenient when hunting for sponsors, little one." She said it so darkly that Cypress was taken aback, and quickly moved to stand beside her brother, much like a lost puppy.

"That's why I want you to present us as a pair." Pekins said dismissively. "She's tiny and friendly - easy to fall in love with. Her lost voice could become an endearing quality if we play it right." He added, wrapping an arm around his siblings' shoulders.

Spinel looked impressed, though Cypress couldn't tell if it was at his idea, or the fact she was beginning to look him over. The girl was only twenty-four, but even so she was much too old for her brother as far as she was concerned - and if the girl could speak, she would have been quick to say as much, though in the nicest way possible.

"We could do that, I suppose. It would be easy to play on the fact that you're family, too - but it would leave most of the leg-work to you." She pointed out, but the muscular boy seemed unconcerned still.

"Nothing new for us." He said, shrugging with a small smile. This comforted his tiny companion; his show of near-normalcy calmed her pain with the situation.

"Well," Spinel said casually, changing the subject very suddenly. "You two wouldn't happen to be hungry, would you?"

Cypress had never seen so much food in her life; her facial expression seemed to please her brother. Her lightly pink-tinted lips had parted slightly, and her bright emerald eyes had widened, revealing a normally hidden tint of blue along the bottom edge of her right eye. The spread was done in white, with red roses highlighting it; the table was covered in an array of different foods - some so oddly shaped and styled that even between the pair they couldn't put a name to it. The white tablecloth had small red roses along its rim, and when the small girl touched it, she decided it was made of something close to - if not exactly - silk.

And the _smell_ was just delicious. The different spices all mingled well with each other, and was just slightly mixed with the roses. Perfect.

"As beautiful as it is," Spinel said, clearly amused. "It's for eating - not staring." Cypress took a seat, and her brother sat beside her, gesturing for their mentor to sit across from them as they picked a few fruits off the table.

"So. How do we survive in the arena?" He never really bothered beating around the bush, which was a very endearing quality for someone who could ask no questions for themselves.

"Luck." Spinel said simply, before biting into a purple-tinted fruit. His face almost immediately became infuriated.

"That's _bullshit_, Spinel!" He said loudly, and the group heard a startled little noise from the corner of the room. Cypress glanced that direction and saw Peggy trying to hide herself from them in a dimmed, secluded corner. They turned back to each other.

"No, Pekin, it's the truth." The elder girl replied, leaning back in her chair. "I can't give you much advice, due to the fact the arena changes every year. However, I would suggest getting to water - preferably up a tree or somewhere high up to keep a view of your surroundings. That is, after the Career pack you will be in breaks up." She shrugged, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"Stick together - since you want to present yourselves as a pair - as long as you can, and make sure you play your love of each other every chance you get for the camera. But I wouldn't push it so much that the other is viewed as a weakness by the other tributes, or they'll be sure to use it against you." Cypress bit into a deliciously flavored meat of some kind, smiling as the unique taste filled her mouth.

"Oh - and you probably won't need a fire as badly as you think you will. Try your best not to give away your location." She paused, thinking.

"And that's all I can think of right now. So I'm going to take a nap before we get there, if you'll excuse me, but I would suggest you do the same." And then, their lifeline walked out of the room,

Leaving them to brood on their impending doom in peace.

* * *

><p>The Capitol was beautiful.<p>

It really was a very pleasantly placed place - with the dramatic mountains around the sides, and the massive buildings. The people were all colorful and so very enthusiastic to see their train. Cypress watched in awe as the cat-ears, green-skins, and rainbow-haired characters waved and screamed in so much excitement she had no choice but to grin and wave back. The enthusiasm spread through her and she began bouncing in an almost childish manner, with a massive smile gracing her lips. When they entered the tunnel, however, was when her brother decided to join her for breakfast. He offered a confused look to her apparent joy, and she covered her mouth, closing her eyes in her normal sign for laughter.

"She saw the Capitol." Peggy said, standing from her place in her corner and taking a seat at the table. Once again, the pair had never seen her in the room.

"It's only natural she would be excited." Her bright green hair had formed two massive hoops out the side of her head, much different from the elaborate curls she had yesterday. Her outfit consisted of a bright yellow suit with massive - she was guessing about six inches tall - green heels. Cypress vaguely wondered how on Earth she could stand, but her thoughts were put aside as her brother looked at her.

"And you behaved enthusiastically, Cy?" He asked seriously, and smiled a bit when the girl nodded. "Good - keep behaving like this is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to you. It'll make it easier for us to make you out to be a damsel in distress rather than a frightened child." She grinned, nodding again as Peggy giggled.

"She really is a charming girl - not too loud, not too boring; if she were cleaned up a bit she would be stunning!" Spinel chimed as she bounced through the door, draping an arm over the other girls shoulder.

"But your stylist is in charge of appearance - though I will make it clear I think you should be portrayed as "gems in the rough"." She giggled as the train slid to a stop, though none of them would have known it if the little red light hadn't blinked on above the door.

As the door opened, brother and sister linked hands without any thought, stepping off the train and between four Peacekeepers. Cypress wondered if they were meant to keep the pair on course, but her thoughts quickly changed as they began walking through the glass step-off tunnel. There were people beating on it, screaming excitedly at them as they attempted to get their attention. Pekin laughed, using his free hand to wave pleasantly to the crowds of people before they reached the end of their safety tunnel.

They stepped off into fresh air and the screaming hit an all-new level of loud - people yelling their names, flailing their arms in the air, reaching for them. Cypress was once again filled with their enthusiasm, releasing her brothers' hand and blowing dual-handed kisses in every direction, before throwing her arms high in the air and waving to them. The screams grew louder as people reached to catch her kisses, bouncing over the top of each other to wave back - to be noticed.

Pekin took her hand again, laughing loudly and holding his in the air with hers in an attempt to match her enthusiasm. The tiny girl began bouncing beside him as they reached the door they had been moving towards, turning one last time to face them and taking a bow in unison before they entered the room.

"Oh my goodness, that was perfect!" Peggy squealed, caught up in the moment, and threw her arms around the small girl excitedly.

"You did amazing, little one." Spinel added, less enthused, as she ruffled the girls curly locks. "But now it's time to meet your stylists." She said, looking at Pekin, now.

"Fortunately for you two: your stylists are siblings, and are beyond excited they get to work with you - they requested it, actually! - so let's do our best to keep them so excited, understand?" She said, pointing at both of them in turn - almost like a scolding mother.

"Do not argue, and do not complain; this is the most amazing experience you've ever had as far as they are concerned." She added, and they nodded.

"Now. Peggy, you take Pekin to meet Chloe's crew - I've got little one here." Peggy mumbled something about "not her job" but obeyed the order. Pekin glanced back at his sister worriedly - apparently unsure if he should leave her or not - as the brightly colored girl began chattering away to him about his team, but after a moment of her mindless chatter she realized he wasn't paying her any mind she grabbed him by his arm and led him off in the proper direction.

"Cypress, you're stylist is Adde - he's a good friend of mine - however much older he is that the rest of these kids - so I expect you treat him with the utmost respect." She said it smoothly, but the small girl knew better. The protective note in her voice made it clear she was completely willing to lay hands to anyone who disobeyed her warning - and, to be frank, Cypress wasn't planning to piss off her only connection to the outside world before the games even began.

"He's friendly enough, but he doesn't like idle chit-chat. I think that's why he wanted you instead of your brother." She mused to herself, now unbothered by the girls' infinite silence. "He might ask for some input, but I'm quite certain he will provide you with a means to communicate a response - so don't fret too much."

Cypress had never had anyone care so much about her predicament - she'd had quite a time learning the art of charades! - so this much attention to it was quite embarrassing. It was all so mind-numbingly flattering to her. All the attention and love was, admittedly, expanding her far ego beyond the boundaries of her skull.

They entered a closed room, and Spinel rested her hands on her hips as she began scanning the room. "Not bad." She purred, then looked at her tiny companion, pointing at her in reminder before leaving wordlessly.

She had no idea how long she sat there before someone finally came in to visit - but they were not at all what she expected. It was an elderly man - she was assuming late forties - and two younger ones, both appearing vibrant and excited as ever. It was like they'd never seen a girl before as they prance up and began examining her, chattering away to each other so quickly she could hardly understand them - besides an occasional "tsk, tsk!" or "Oh, how cute!". Her face quickly turned a bright red as they began looking into more detailed areas - her armpits, her eyebrows, excetra - and making tiny disapproving noises. She made eye contact with the elderly man before he snapped his fingers and the pair backed off.

"Alright, boys, we need to get her looking nice and clean," his voice was gruff as she frowned at him, almost pouting. "So get her looking naturally beautiful, then we'll work on the rest. I'll be back in an hour and a half." He waved them off to work as he turned and left, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Alright, dolly-dearest, we need you to hop in the bath for us." She finally got to get a good look at them as they quit buzzing around, and found them to be fairly attractive boys. They appeared to be twins, upon closer examination, except one was blond and the other had apparently died his hair a bright red. Their eyes were both a light hazel, and both glimmering with mischief as she turned a bright pink once again.

"Now, now, don't be shy!" The other purred in her ear as he began dragging her towards a bathroom she hadn't bothered to examine while alone. "This is our job - I promise we're not checking you out." They were apparently prone to taking up the others conversation.

"Though she is really pretty." One giggled as she stumbled a bit, having been shoved towards the tub. "By the way," she turned and could clearly see them now, no longer being tossed around like a ragdoll. The blond was speaking, a massive grin planted on his chiseled features - an identical one on his brothers face. "I'm Nathaniel, and this is Nikolas." He said cheerfully, both breaking into slow laughter as they stepped out long enough for her to strip down and crawl into the massive tub. They returned barely armfuls of different soaps and oils and scrubs.

Cypress couldn't help but feel violated by the handsome pair as they began bathing her in the oddly smelling mixtures - but the pleasantness of the warm water was quickly taken away as soon as they decided she met their standard of clean. She was then whisked away to what appeared to be a hospital table in the middle of the room - after some insane machine dried her in a matter of seconds! - and laid out, still very naked. Though she wasn't starved, her ribs still stuck out a little more than usual and they shook their heads in disapproval, though remained silent to it, and began waxing her legs and arms. Fortunately, she was not known for her noisy disapproval, so her cringes went unnoticed by them.

In fact, the red-headed boy mumbled, "She's very quiet for someone who's never had this done before."

"She's a mute, dumby."

As if embarrassed, he ducked his head and began plucking away what little was still there with his tweezers.

It felt like hours before she was finally allowed to get dressed - and by 'get dressed' she meant 'given a robe to put on'. The twins had left her after a tedious application of skin-softeners and other such concoctions, promising to be right back. Apparently they had to go find Adde, as he had apparently refused to return in the given amount of time.

Cypress sat on the table she'd been on only moments before and lightly felt her skin. She felt... _pretty_. Her hair had been brushed out, though the curls remained lazy and loose. She had the feeling Adde would probably accent them somehow, she guessed, just from watching the previous games.

"Cypress!" She turned to look at the man in the doorway, her stylist, with a shy stare. "You look lovely," he said simply, before adding, "But it's time for some real work to be done." her stomach dropped. She couldn't even imagine laying there while people flicked and flittered and covered her in their odd smelling make-up and hair-styling and -

"Relax, it won't take near as long." He grinned at her, his face wrinkling more with pleasure at her relieved expression.

Cypress could see a long, lasting friendship with this man.


	2. Chapter 2

_It was so much easier than she ever expected it to be - killing someone. Cypress looked in her brothers eyes and saw the terror, defeat, pain... betrayal. All those feelings dancing and mixing and spinning 'round and 'round in those eyes - the eyes of the only person she had ever been able to explain herself to. The only person who ever understood. And she was about to extinguish the light that had kept her heart beating, when no one else cared._

Cypress woke from the nightmare in cold sweat - less than her normal happy self. She shuddered at the person she was in her dreams, assuring herself that wasn't really her - that was someone else entirely. The dreams had started after their ride on the chariot, which had gone about the same as everything else, only this time with glitter.

Adde had wanted to keep it simple - make them shine without making them out to be something they weren't. But, due to their flamboyant showing when they exited the train, everyone already knew who they were - so, of course, the people of the Capitol reacted accordingly. They're costumes were very different this year - her dress had been specifically designed to appear a soft, simple - almost childlike, with its high cut! - pink tint, and flower-shaped gems were strategically placed along the hem, trailing up into a flame-like pattern about to her stomach. Her brother had matched stylishly, in his simple white tux, though his gems were around his wrists.

Overall, the entire event was a success - everyone thought it went great. Perfect, even.

But Cypress knew better.

Tonight was the interview - and they expected a way for her to communicate, but no one had provided her a means of doing so yet. Adde had not required much information, but when he did he simply handed her a sheet of paper and demanded she write a response. But she doubted that could save her much when it came to impressing the ruthless people of the Capitol. The thought was halted, however, as Peggy pounded on her door, demanding her attention. The small girl pushed herself from the comfort of her bed and lazily opened the door, gazing at her companion in irritation.

"Time to go make some friends!" She said cheerfully and, if she could have, Cypress would have groaned. She didn't want to deal with the competition any more - she knew she needed to, for her brothers sake, but she really didn't know if she would be able to stomach the other participants of this game.

"Come now, you're brothers already dressed and waiting - Adde gave you your uniform, right?" Her accent was heavy - though the smaller girl found it endearing; almost as endearing as her constant hair-color/style changes. No one bothered to mention breakfast - the raven-haired girl had refused to attend any of their "breakfast meetings" due to a refusal to give up her precious hours of rest.

Cypress nodded to her, and rushed to change into the given attire. It was fairly simple - black leather with gold trim. She was certain her brother was wearing a matching one - as had apparently become the custom. The walk was quick - and when she was re-united with her brother she practically pounced into his arms. Last nights dreams had made her anxious to see him, but one glance at his cheerful expression wiped away her fears. She could never hurt this man in front of her. At times, her unconditional love seemed to bother him - but today was not going to be one of those days, apparently. He swung her around, grinning at her as he twirled her back to her feet.

"Sleep well, little one?" Great. He apparently was spending too much time with Spinel. At her disgruntled expression, he laughed.

"Let's go meet our expected team, shall we?"

They weren't particularly impressive. Well, no, that wasn't true. Most of the boys were older this year - closer to her brothers' age - and the girls younger. Not one of them was smaller than her though. Pekin noticed this too, and glanced worriedly at her - for what? She felt a sudden pang of irritation with him, the pre-game paranoia settling into her thoughts. He thought she would cause him to lose his place among the 'Careers' - yes, yes, the members of said pack are aware other Districts call them that! - didn't he? She'd show him - all of them. After the boring rules were gone through, Cypress stomped over to the snares station. Her brother, sensing her mood, followed after her.

"Cy?" He muttered, trying to keep his confusion from showing. She knew what he wanted to get to - meet their 'alliance' - but she didn't care. She wasn't going to waste her first day looking desperate to join up with them - she was going to learn a trick or two before handing over her talents to them. Her sibling, usually so keen on figuring out her plans, was left confused and frustrated with her.

Realizing she was behaving so carelessly, she turned to him, taking his hand and squeezing it in reassurance. He sighed, irritation melting away as she began trying to get a message across. She wanted him to find the tributes from District Two - scope them out, and get a feel for them. She held up two fingers, then gestured around the room discreetly.

After a moment he finally took a guess, "District Two?" She nodded to him, smiling a bit before she began kissing the two fingers in her common way of explaining "friend" - which was really just her lightly touching them to her lips twice, and repeating it a few times before he finally put her request together.

"You want them to be our friends - scope them out, right?" Did she mention she loved her brother? Her cheerful nod made him smile, a genuine, pleased smile. It was slightly unnerving, considering the fact they only needed to be "friends" with them until it came time to slit their throat.

Then again, she only needed to stick with her brother until he decided it was time to slit hers.

These dark thoughts had been creeping through her thoughts so aggressively since they stepped off the train - she was starting to realize something in her she had never needed to acknowledge before: the will to live. It was always there, of course, guiding her choices in quiet, tactful consideration, but now, facing all these people who she knew could never be her friend - who she knew would need to be destroyed for her own survival - her will was roaring with rage. The will to live was her rage, her rage was her fuel, and her fuel would keep her heart beating - just long enough to make sure someone else's stopped.

The dark thoughts startled Cypress, and she quickly shook them away, realizing she had made her way over to the weights station, and was easily lifting them with her tiny arms. She couldn't remember how she had migrated, but one of the instructors was watching her like a hawk as she used the bench. She noticed her brother hadn't followed, for whatever reason. Oh well, she was reminded of their rather deadly situation when he was close anyway.

"Someone's a loner." The voice chimed playfully, and she glanced towards it - finding its owner to be a quite smiley guy. Quite an attractive, smiley guy. His raven hair was dusted across his bright blue eyes, though she noticed one had the slightest green tint to it. Her new-found company had the slightest of grey streaks in his hair, barely noticeable unless you were looking closely - and God knows, she was looking closely.

"Not too chatty?" He questioned, tilting his head a bit as she locked the weights back in place, sitting up and drawing an "X" on her throat a few times before his confused look slid into something of an understanding one.

"You can't talk?" He asked, just to be sure, and upon her nod he grinned again. She began to notice his other features - his face was nicely framed by his hair (probably thanks to his stylist) and though he didn't look as muscular as some of their fellow Tributes, his arms were still twice the size of hers. She immediately cast him into the "trusted" group when he offered her his hand, and it offered the same massive, gentle encasement that her brothers did. He would be a good person to team up with - if she found the Careers less appealing than she already did.

Cypress gazed at him a long moment before shaking his hand slightly, nodding. His face suddenly shifted into a hollow mask, though his eyes sparkled with mischief - just like her brothers did when he knew something she didn't. It was rather unnerving.

"District 1 - Cypress, right?" She nodded again, the slightest of smiles moving to her face. Apparently people were paying attention to her, after all.

Good - she wanted them to recognize the danger in one so quiet.

"District 7 - Terrell." He said, grin returning.

"I'm sorry about you and your brother." He said it as he glanced behind her, and her head followed him - landing on her brother chit-chatting with the girl from District 2, her male companion nodding at something he was saying.

"You're too smart to think they're going to keep you, darling." His voice was soft, now in her ear. "You're brother loves you, but the other two... they'll try to cut you out of the deal. You're too small - too innocent. They don't need you." His voice was urgent, as if he really cared for her safety.

"I don't know your brother, but I'm sure he'll consider it. And what if he does the proper thing, and says no? You'd have screwed him out of the deal - screwed him out of temporary safety." She was frozen at these thoughts - the idea he was right. But his proximity to her neck wasn't exactly helping.

"Even worse: what if he agrees? What if he trades your safety for his? Who will you run to then?" He was clearly trying to get in her head - clearly trying to turn her against him! - but he was right. This stranger, looking at their life from the outside, was seeing the same things she was. He was seeing her fears - seeing them and playing with the idea as much as she was.

"I'll let you dwell on that for a while." He giggled, scurrying off as her mind toyed and chewed over the idea - of what could, and probably would happen. Her brother would betray her.

Her brother would betray her.

* * *

><p>The interview.<p>

Cypress suddenly had a million things running so quickly - so brutally - through her head she could hardly stand herself, much less the damn interview. She could hardly stand anyone, especially the blond-haired boy who stood beside her now. She kept a cool, distant expression when they came into contact, so unnerved by Terrells' assessment she couldn't even meet those big blue eyes that had once seemed so comforting. She knew she was being ridiculous, in her heart-of-hearts, but her brain couldn't shake it. She couldn't shake the idea that maybe, just maybe, her brother was setting her up for disaster.

"I saw you talking to Terrell, earlier." Pekin finally said, as they prepared for their interview - they were already dialed up and gorgeous, now they were simply waiting Peggys' guiding hand to lead them to their place among their fellow Tributes. Cypress felt shame. The reason was beyond her, but her face lit up in her embarrassment. She tapped her lips, calling the boy from District 7 a friend, as her eyes rose to meet her brothers. Or, they would have, if there wasn't someone completely new staring at her.

"No, Cypress." Such a simple response. "He isn't your friend; he's going to get you killed. Don't blow this for us." Those eyes, so hard with the calm rage he was feeling inside him - the calm rage that fueled her own paranoia - were shining brightly.

"Don't die for him." He said it so calmly, almost as an afterthought, under his breath. She felt anger boil inside her - everything was so wrong. She was supposed to be home, living a happy life with her family - Pekin included! - not trying to find a way to get around killing everyone and still survive.

It was only then she realized it - the desire to survive. The will to live, though fueling her now, would be content if someone else lived on - if someone else got their happily ever after. But the desire to survive - no, that would never be content with someone else's happily ever after. It would only be happy for Cypress; No one else could satisfy it.

Her anger quickly drained to fatigue - and tired, tired eyes gazed steadily at him as her lips curved just slightly at the corners. She didn't want to die - and was not going to. Not for anyone; her brother, if he was still somewhere inside those cold eyes, would understand. Her Pekin would understand.

So, though her body was suddenly aching - suddenly feeling too weak to continue forward with what she was about to do - she raised her hand, her index and middle finger resting side-by-side,

And tapped her lips, still in their smug little smile, twice.

Pekins eyes turned into a slow glare for a moment, anger quickly bubbling inside him in response to her defiance. She could feel it then - the possessiveness, the frustration, the fear, the anger, and anguish - all his negative feelings suddenly unleashed on her in that one look. That one look made her resolve shaky - made her doubt herself. But she was tired of doing that, tired of giving in to his every whim - she was smart too! She could do this - she could pick her own alliance; she could survive without him watching her every move. She could be helpful.

Cypress was an asset.

* * *

><p>The man, someone new whose name escaped her, was a friendly fellow - Cypress had to give him that.<p>

"So, my dear, have you always been so quiet?" Pekin was seated beside her, translating to the best of his abilities when he asked a complicated question that required more than "yes or no". This one, however, was fairly easy to answer, so Cypress nodded, and her dark locks bounced. Her lips were turned into a cute little smile. Her brothers arm was wrapped around her shoulders protectively, though he was clearly still pissed at their earlier... disagreement. The crowd giggled at their little exchanges like this - she had noticed. They had only wasted one of her three minutes, the other two ticking away with an almost obnoxious slowness.

"What was it like, Cypress, when you realized it would be you and your brother against each other?" There was a long pause, as Cypress looked at the blond boy beside her. He looked... sad - her brother, always so strong, looked so sad. Her fingers reached for his free hand, which was resting in his lap, and tangled in his. He looked at her then, those eyes that had seemed so cold earlier suddenly soft - suddenly acknowledging that he was, too, in as much pain as she was. He wasn't coping well, either.

And suddenly she was crying - not massive sobs and snot flying everywhere - but quiet, gentle tears that gently slid down her pale cheeks. Everyone on stage seemed alarmed by this, but the crowd ate it up as her brother pulled her into a hug. Their collective little, "awhh" made her stomach twist in agony - she wanted them to all vanish. She wanted to forget where she was for a moment.

"Difficult." Pekin said softly, responding for her once again. She felt the hand that had previously rested against the back of the couch reach up and pet her hair as she wiped her tears away, flustered. She dipped her head when he released her, shying away from the cameras.

"I'm sorry to hear that." One minute left. She knew he would aim to end on a happy note - so she began setting herself up for something cutesy to finish off.

"On to a brighter topic," So easy to read. "Is there anyone you've taken a particular interest in? A little, off-set romance, perhaps?" Not so easy to read.

Cypress heard the crowd inhale - all together, of course - with curiosity, and was nearly positive every single one of them was literally on the edge of their seat.

It was then she had a fabulous idea.

She tweaked her lips into a rueful smile, glancing away from everyone and tucking her hands in her lap - making herself sit up straighter as she shook her head.

"Oh come now," He could feel her tugging his response, apparently. "Don't let Pekin here deter you." He joked at her brothers' expense. Speaking of her brother, his arm had tightened around her shoulders - a warning - though his face remained calm. He knew her too well.

Thirty seconds left.

She looked at her brother, whose eyes had gone cold once more, and batted her eyes innocently. Tapping her lips twice and letting her smile turn into something of a smug grin. He wouldn't deny her message - not in front of the entire country of Panem.

"She has made a friend," He said vaguely, but was urged on by their new friend. "But she's not giving any names until we get into the arena." He was smug then, as he finished the statement. She could feel it radiating off him. The crowd started to howl in disagreement, but the buzzer cut them off.

Cypress covered her mouth, mimicking what would have been laughter if she could have managed it.

If they weren't so keen on killing her, she might have actually liked the Capitol.

* * *

><p>Cypress sat by as the other contestants took their turns - paying extra special attention to Terrells, but noticing he never mentioned having so much as spoken to her. It was probably better that way - her teammates wouldn't appreciate him trying to weasel in on their plans.<p>

Her teammates.

Emerald eyes glanced over, looking at the pair from District 2. The girl was a giant, compared to the smaller girls own stature, but she was boney - frail, sickly. It was surprising, to say the least. The members of District 2 were usually as prepared for the games as her own District - which left her with the question: Who is this girl?

What kind of life had she had, that led her to be so unprepared for a fight? A soft one, possibly. One where she had never dreamed of having her name drawn - where she was content. A long trail of coughs from the girl, confirmed her earlier thoughts - the wheezing sound showed she was weak from some illness - but was she weak enough to be taken out in the very beginning? As if sensing her thoughts, the girl looked over, golden eyes narrowed with the slightest glimmer of determination, and Cypress knew the answer.

The male, following his partner's gaze, landed on her and she offered the slightest of smiles, waving innocently. He looked very relaxed - very calm. His eyes matched her own in their greenish tint, but other than that softness he looked hard as a rock. He stared for a long moment, unsure as to whether or not he was going to approach, but finally just looking away. It was then she did another scan - one searching the details of his frame. He was muscle - thick, intimidating muscle - and stood between five eleven and six foot tall. He was bald - adding to his military look he was trying to pull off.

She didn't trust them - would never, ever, trust them - and yet...

Her eyes flickered to Terrell, who was sitting alone. She remembered his opening joke, and felt her lips twitch in the urge to grin. Maybe she wasn't the only loner after all. He glanced her direction and her eyes shot off, gluing themselves on the pair from District 4 - who were being very... intimate in such a public place. Her face flushed - as if she had just barged into their room and seen. No, they were the ones doing such naughty things in public! It wasn't like she was a Peeping Tom! - and she crinkled her nose a bit, turning away from the scene as someone ran over to break them up.

"Disgusting, no?" Damnit. She forced herself to make eye contact with him, face still a dim pink. Terrells eyes twinkled with laughter - which only deepened the blush on her face, as she realized it was directed at her. He'd caught her looking at him - and had realized her attempt at making it seem like a casual glance had failed.

Oh, the embarrassment.

Cypress gave a little nod in acknowledgement to his statement, then lightly tapped her lips, before tapping his shoulder. Surely he had realized what that meant, after so many times of her using it in her interview. His face became suddenly mischievous, and she felt nervousness begin to creep into her. Maybe he didn't consider them friends; maybe he only saw her as a pitiful little girl with no value at all - maybe he was just looking for someones' brain to toy with, and she had seemed like the most likely candidate for it. That would make sense, considering she was so small; it wasn't like she would be any help in any kind of combat-

He tapped his fingers to his lips, mimicking her, before lightly touching them to her forehead.

"Friends." He whispered, voice gentle as he offered her a sweet little smile. It felt like he was coaxing her to do something difficult, like a mother would a child, the way he looked at her now - so sweet and calm. It surprised her, but she nodded back slowly, returning his smile much more shyly before he glanced back over her shoulder - apparently seeing something serious, the way his smile fell - before he walked away, tucking his hands in his pockets smoothly.

That single word, quiet and reassuring, was all she needed to hear. She would trust him, this mysterious boy from District 7.

Cypress would trust him.

* * *

><p>Pekin was not pleased with her. Not one little bit.<p>

His silence was more painful than his words could ever be - the cold, cold distance between them made her heart cry out in agony. It made her want to fall off the face of the earth and never have caused him so many negative feelings. This never would have happened back home - she never made anyone angry there. But then again, she never had to deal with so many choices at home either. It was always simple: Help, or don't help. Here, she had to watch, wait to see how they handled things, before she could decide whether or not to help, back home she just... _did._

She saw Spinel heading towards them, an angry look on her face, and stopped in her tracks, trying to take off in the other direction before she could be noticed by the beautiful combatant.

"Stop. Right. There." The words froze her in place, all hope of escaping the lashing of words gone now that she had been seen.

Then there was a bright flash and the sound of someone getting punched - oh, hey, that was her. Cypress stumbled, before shooting forward instinctively, unwilling to let this evil woman get away with doing something so cold to her. Spinel tried to side-step, surprised, but Cypress latched hold of her long hair and whipped her back in place, before ripping her to the ground. As she reared back to get in one good blow, she felt strong arms grab her, before she was lifted effortlessly into the air.

"Enough!" Pekin roared, his anger boiling over at the sight of the two girls so willing to rip each other's throats out.

Then Spinel started laughing. Hysterically.

They had to wait it out, as Pekin roaring at Cypress had apparently set off something inside the older girl that was beyond insanity. "You two..." She giggled, wiping a tear away. "Are going to kill each other." That wasn't funny. The raven-haired girl didn't care what kind of insanity had over taken their mentor - she started to lurch for her again, but Pekin held her tight.

"No one else will even have to bother with you because you'll spend all your time hunting down each other - wanting to destroy each other." She continued on, words slurring slightly. Oh. She was drunk.

"I can see it already - you don't trust each other. You don't feel anything anymore but a need to show the other who's really in charge - a need to prove you're not crazy. Right?" Her words were hitting Cypress right on the head, but she wondered about her brother. Was he feeling it too?

"You're so paranoid - so angry. 'Everything's wrong'. But it isn't wrong - some power, somewhere, has decided only one of you deserves to be alive. I wonder why? What could you have possibly done to make God turn his back on you?" She mused, before rolling over and vomiting everywhere. She made sure not to land in it, but moved back onto her back, drifting in and out of an undeserved sleep.

"Everything's right." She slurred, drawing it out purposefully before humming to herself. It was more like she was completely insane, rather than simply wasted. Maybe she was insane, and the drinking simply made it clear.

Hell, maybe they were all crazy.

The rest of the time flew by - everything was a blur as they prepared for the arena. That's all that mattered now.

Pekin hadn't spoken much to her, after Spinels' stunt. No one had spoken much to her, actually. Everyone seemed content to simply ignore her existence. Which was fine, since Cypress didn't know what to say anyway. But they weren't treating him any better - he mostly hid away in his room, when they weren't eating or training. She wanted to talk to him, sometimes.

She wanted him to know she loved him, but how could you show it anymore? With death so close? Knowing you're alone now? - knowing they know you have abandoned them?

What do you say to the people who have lost all faith in you?


	3. Chapter 3

Cypress didn't feel like moving, when Peggy bounced in and announced it was time. Time for the games to begin - time for everything to completely fall apart. No, the young girl didn't feel like moving. She wished she could melt into the bed from which she was forced to raise - melt into it and never come out. But her tangled curls were not going to hold her there - unfortunately they lacked the ability to lock into their almost artistic looking places. So she sat up, rubbing her eyes like a tired child. Then again, she _was_ a tired child.

The emerald-eyed girl had only scored a 6 the day before - she was one of the weaklings now, without a doubt - which made her someone the Careers wouldn't want, even if she had wanted to join them. Not that it mattered, since her brother had practically disowned her.

She was a zombie as they flew her to the arena - she stared silently at her hands the entire time, only moving when the nurse came by to inject the tracker into her arm.

"This might sting." She said, and Cypress would have laughed at her pathetic warning. Really? It might sting? Just like it might hurt when she's snapped in half by District 2 - or has her throat cut in the middle of the night by District 4. She looked offended when the small girl ripped her arm out of the woman's grasp afterwards, but Cypress was beyond caring. The people who were so willing to watch her be sent to her death were far below her. People she would crush given the option.

Then they landed, and were all rushed off to their assigned destinations. Tributes go in alone - a fact she was both glad and pained by. Adde was waiting for her, and she almost collapsed with relief at the sight of her elderly companion. He was not obsessed with being young and dazzling, like the other stylists. No, he was perfectly content to be his own age. And his own age involved comforting those so much younger than him apparently, as he wrapped her in a hug.

"If they feel no remorse, for what they have done," He whispered gruffly in her ear. "May God have mercy on their soul, and you have none." His voice had dropped dramatically as he spoke the last three words. She felt a shiver run through her - the simple rhyme was enough to convince her of herself - convince her she was, and always had been, willing to survive. And better yet, it convinced her:

She was _worthy_ of surviving.

He released her, holding her at arm's length and looking her in the eye. She had not allowed herself to spend too much time with him - fearing this moment - but now, seeing his eyes slowly begin to water, she knew it had done neither of them any good. Her eyes began to overflow the longer they stood there, saying so much to each other through that long look. He believed in her - he really, honestly, believed she had a chance. The small girl leaned forward, standing on her tip-toes long enough to give him a soft kiss on the cheek.

There was a whispered word, then, that neither of them had time enough to register it - much less decide who had said it - before the countdown began. She hugged him, one last time, in a tight embrace before dashing to her tube, and turning back to face him. He gave her a reassuring smile as she waved slightly, nodding to her.

The plate slowly started to lift, and she stood perfectly still, waiting for it to begin. But, it didn't begin immediately. It gave her time to search, to look. The arena was massive - everything was a million times larger than it was in reality. It was like stepping into a completely different world - a completely different universe!

When the countdown hit twenty she finally realized she should be looking at the weapons - only there weren't any she could use. There was nothing she knew how to use! Her worst nightmare had come to life. Stuck in an arena full of blood thirsty, insane teenagers with nothing to defend herself. She saw a backpack - a purple one, with a little black band tied around it and narrowed her eyes. If she couldn't get a weapon, she would at least make out with something. Plus, she knew everyone else would aim for weapons - no one would think about the packs until after the bloodbath.

**Ten**.

Her eyes wandered, for a moment, to across the arena, and she noticed her brother was side-by-side with Terrell on his platform. Oh no. Her brother offered nothing reassuring to her, but Terrell, after catching her attention, gestured to his right slightly, with his eyes. She glanced that direction and noticed it was a wooded area - somewhere Terrell could navigate easily, but she, however, would be more lost than a goose in a hailstorm.

**Five**.

Now it was simply a matter of if she trusted him enough to seclude herself in a place like that. A place where he clearly had the advantage-

**Four**.

She knew she had decided to trust him, but that was a scary idea. Trusting him and dashing into the woods only for him to plant a knife in her back-

**Three**.

But then he hadn't done anything that indicated hostility, so maybe it would be okay - maybe it would be okay.

**Two**.

She looked back at him, tapping her fingers to her lips nervously, searching for reassurance. She saw him smile, but he didn't return the gesture. Smart, since other people could see him-

**One**: No time to think anymore.

Cypress sprinted from her platform before anyone else had time to register what had happened, launching herself towards her selected pack then dashing for the woods. The head start gave her the advantage as she felt her boots hit the ground. It was soft - muddy feeling. Damp. Water. Perfect, another advantage.

"Cypress!" She heard her brother call for her, and stopped, against her will. He was staring at her, with the District 2 Tributes right behind him, smashing away at the girl from... fuck, District 9? His eyes were pleading, but she knew - she knew what she needed to do to keep herself alive. She turned, looking towards the woods,

And ran.

* * *

><p>She refused to stop running - even after her brother stopped calling for her, even after the ground grew harder, she didn't stop moving. She refused to quit running. But then someone had her, grabbed her by her arms and slung her up into the air. Her mouth opened, to give a silent scream, but then she was back on the ground, and facing the man who had saved her from the bloodbath.<p>

How had he caught her?

"Relax." Terrell whispered to her as they made eye contact. Her eyes were wide with confusion and anxiety, but when they locked on his she saw he was silently willing her to breathe - to calm herself. His hands were holding her at arm's length, watching the panic slowly fade from her tiny form. Her body remained tense, however, as he stared at her - holding her in place as if he was afraid letting her go meant her sprinting away.

Cypress flinched when he released her, moving his hands up slightly in a motion to say "I'm surrendering", though it was so small of a reaction she was sure it went unnoticed. Only it didn't, because that would make her life far too easy.

"I'm not going to hurt you, little tree." He said soothingly, using that same coaxing voice he had before. His hands reached over his shoulder and he grabbed his axe - it was covered in blood, which led her to ask: Who had he killed? - and held it out to her. He did it all so slowly, as if the slightest movement would send her into a panic - which, for all she knew, it might. She took it gently, then held it to her chest possessively, as if afraid he would rip it back - rip away her only defense, however clumsy and useless it may be in her hands.

He tapped his fingers to his lips patiently, then pressed them gently to her forehead again.

"We're friends, Cypress. It's okay." Friends. The tension drained from her body and she suddenly realized how exhausted she was - how long she had been running, also caught up to her as she looked up, and saw the sky dimming.

"We need to find somewhere safe for the night, okay? Will you stay with me - and not take off running again?" He smiled playfully and she nodded, smiling timidly in return. She was suddenly very glad she had followed his directions, as she heard a distant howl. He frowned, glancing at his axe - still tightly against her chest - then glancing out towards the woods around them.

"Can you climb?" He asked suddenly, and she stared at him - trying to give him the "you just grew a second head" look. Her name, though a tree, did not give her any insight on how to get up one.

".. Okay, I'll have to teach you then. It's not safe on the ground." He added the last bit as her face twisted in disapproval. But the words "not safe" quickly shifted her more in his direction. She could almost feel that twinkle in his eyes as he wrapped an arm around her. It felt possessive - like her brothers had the night of the interview, but it wasn't frustrating or scary. It felt... _safe_.

They wandered a bit, trying to find some low branches - as Cypress was oh-so-much shorter than her new companion - but after a while she heard him sigh, defeated. He then lifted her, her flailing protests meaning nothing to him, and ordered: "Grab a limb, little tree."

She obeyed, hauling herself up onto it nervously, as if afraid it would snap at any moment. He followed behind her with much more grace, proving the strength of the limb as he sat across from her, smirking.

"Not so bad, now, is it?" She didn't have the heart to disagree as he began moving farther up, gently pulling her along by her hand every new branch. She felt sicker and sicker as she began to notice they were getting thinner - but not so thin they would snap any moment. No, these trees didn't have any "small branches". Even their final limb, where he decided they would be safely hidden, was still big enough at least three people could fit on it, side-by-side. So, she supposed, it hadn't gotten _much_ smaller.

"Okay, let's see if we have anything to help bed-wise." He chirped, apparently making pleasant conversation with himself as he began digging around through their bags, apparently pleased finally as he pulled out a blanket and sleeping bag.

"I'll take the blanket - you can have the bag." He offered, but Cypress knew better. If they had bothered to supply more than a single person with something for warmth: It was going to get pretty damn cold. So she shook her head "no" and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to appear to be shivering. He understood immediately, from the look on his face.

"So you want me to warm you up?" He had that evil, playful little twinkle again.

... no, he didn't get it, but it would work.

He laid it out on the branch, and pushed the blanket into it, before climbing in. He looked at her expectantly and her face burned, shyness coming back. She reminded herself it wasn't romantic - though it really was, from a bystanders point of view; it had always been something she had wanted to do with a guy before, now that she thought about it - but it was simply for survival purposes. She was reminded of the pair from District 4 and suddenly couldn't will herself to move, far too flustered to even consider the idea now.

"Oh, relax, I'm not going to feel you up." He said, rolling his eyes as he grinned a bit, holding it open for her to slide in. When she slipped into the bag she noticed two things, right from the start:

One, he smelled very, very good. The "let-me-steal-you're-clothes-and-sniff-them-forever" kind of good.

And Two, it was very cramped - and he was a lot more muscular than she had given him credit for.

Their bodies were pressed together and though they had a little wiggle-room, it wasn't enough to really escape the others grasp. His arms wrapped themselves around her - one arm to be used as her pillow, while the other was gently holding her in place around her shoulders. She didn't mind.

Her face buried into his chest and he held her a little tighter, though it still didn't feel romantic. They heard a "clank!" right above their heads and looked up in unison, seeing a little parachute settle itself on the wood above their heads.

Terrell reached out, pulling it to them and opening it curiously. It held a small container of water, and a little slip of paper that read: "_Pu ti gintae re'yeht. - S"_ Cypress saw the hidden message immediately and momentarily wondered why Spinel had taken the time to write it so perfectly backwards. Maybe it wasn't allowed?

She held it out to him, moving her finger right to left so that he could read it as well, and his face brightened.

"Oh really?" His voice was amused, though she heard the thought going into the words. He quickly tore the paper into tiny little pieces, sending them flying everywhere before cuddling back up to her.

"You're so cute, little tree." He muttered to her, resting his head on top of hers as they got comfortable again. "It's a shame we met under these circumstances." He added, sighing wistfully.

Cypress nodded, letting herself relax in the arms of this nearly perfect stranger as the faces of the fallen lit up in the sky.

She didn't look, but she heard him mumbling under his breath as a few shone brightly above them. She remembered then, seeing the blood on his axe. She wondered how many of those people he'd killed. Her body tensed in response to this thought, and she felt him sigh into her hair.

"The boys from District 11 and 12," He said softly in her ear, voice suddenly very tired. "And the girl from 3." It made her shudder that he knew exactly what their Districts were, but she didn't try to escape him - just like he didn't try to explain. He went quiet then, holding her silently for a long time before she felt it.

The softest of tears light caressed her face and she knew he was crying - crying alone, silently into the cold night for what he had done.

Addes rhyme played softly in her head as she laid there, Terrell lighting wiping away a stray tear that would occasionally land on her pale skin.

* * *

><p><em>"If they feel no remorse, for what they have done,<em>

_May God have mercy on their soul,_

_And you have none."_


	4. Chapter 4

Cypress woke to the sound of something rustling above her.

Her body didn't move near as quickly as it needed to, in the dim light signaling sunrise. Her vision remained blurry, all the shadows dancing into one dark figure as she tried to stop the world from spinning. What was wrong?

She finally managed to get her vision adjusted just enough to find the source of rustling: a small bird, perched above her head. It's black, beady eyes were staring back at her as she tried to place it in her mind - it seemed so familiar. Its beak was about six inches long and thin, and its eyes were surrounded by a white ring of thick feathers. It looked almost like an average raven, besides those small feature changes. Its head cocked to one side, examining her, as another landed a little ways back - then another, and another. The birds all began to collect around the first, and anxiety slowly started to build in the small girl. This behavior was not normal, from what she knew of birds, but a better judge would be the boy still asleep beside her.

Unfortunately, the birds didn't give her the opportunity to ask.

Their mouths flew open and a pink fog began to bellow out of the tiny creatures, combining into a massive cloud. The cloud consumed them, as her mouth opened in a silent cry of terror, but her body soon fell limp, vision blurring as the world began spinning again. She heard her companion stir, but he quickly fell back into the gentle lull of sleep, her following quickly behind.

* * *

><p>She woke once more, this time to the anthem playing, and the fallen lighting up the sky once more. She quickly recognized the girl from District 4, followed by her "lover" and frowned, but those were the only losses. Her hands quickly moved to wake Terrell - before she noticed he wasn't there.<p>

Her blood suddenly went cold - and her eyes widened, looking around in mild panic. How long had she been asleep? Had she been asleep days, and he been picked off in the earlier time? How? Where? Had he just up and left-

"Little tree, relax." She hadn't noticed her hands were patting the tree like a madwoman until she heard his voice, and her eyes began searching pathetically or him in the darkness.

"Those birds were pretty scary, weren't they?" He purred, clearly amused at her panic. She frowned at nothing in particular, wondering how he had known about them. He'd been sleeping, right?

"You know," He said casually, from where ever he was hiding. She looked up towards the branched above, still searching. "You're not too chatty awake, but you don't ever seem to shut up when you're sleeping." Her body froze as her hand jumped to her throat.

That wasn't possible. She couldn't speak - her voice had been tucked far out of her reach since birth. Still, she found herself opening her mouth and forming words that fell dead on her tongue - a clear indication of his lie. She shook her head, eyes falling to the bag she was still so comfortably sitting in. She wiggled out of it, suddenly feeling thirsty, and reached for their small source of water - only to have it poured on her head.

Outrage and embarrassment filled her as she flailed a bit, crawling away from the scene. She could hear Terrell giggling as a steady flow of water appeared where she had been so cruelly assaulted by her friend.

"The trees - they have water in them." He informed her, and she heard a "whack!" as, what she assumed was his axe, slammed into the tree, adding another stream. How had she missed that the first time? She followed the trail up and would have gasped, as she noticed her friend was in a perfect camouflage - matching the tree in everything but those bright blue eyes and his toothy grin. He didn't bother explaining when he had had time to decorate his skin, but she wasn't able to ask.

"We need to get you some camo." He mused, and she shivered. This was not something she had excelled at, no matter how much she practiced in the booth. She tried to show this disdain as her hands began moving, but she was forced to stop as he hopped down in front of her gracefully, taking her hands gently.

"I got it, Cy." He said softly to her, tugging her gently towards the small stream from their tree, where he had created a make-shift ladder into the side of their current home - up to another branch. As she pulled herself onto it, she noticed he had an abundance of things to be used as her disguise, and shivered a bit.

"Oh relax, it only feels weird for a little bit - besides, you need to blend in, oh-pale-one." He teased, taking a small glob of brown and gently tracing it across her forehead. He suddenly seemed very intense as he began painting her face, his eyes following the little trails with a gentle, almost tender, look. As he painted just below her lips, his thumb ran across them slowly, and she noticed his eyes had fallen curiously on them. A slightly mischievous smile fell on his lips.

He leaned in, and Cypress breathed in heavily - anticipation growing rapidly in her. She had never been kissed before; never really wanted to, but if she was destined to die in the next few days, she may as well let the last person to show her any kindness have her first.  
>His lips brushed across hers playfully, side-to-side a few times until she was tingling in a mixture of frustration and desire. She leaned in a bit, trying to catch his lips, only to have him lean back just enough to keep them from pressing together. His fingers went back to painting across her collarbone, then slowly moving downwards, as if to pull down her shirt - only to trail teasingly back up, and along her neck. He caught her chin gently between his index and his thumb and she shivered, eyes having drifted closed earlier in their game.<p>

"Oh, Cypress..." He breathed wistfully against her lips, as his forehead rested against hers. Their lips were so painfully close to touching she wanted to scream - wanted to be angry and just take it, but she couldn't.

She was frozen, so frustrated, in that peaceful moment - swirling with an untapped desire.


	5. Chapter 5

Terrell had been awake for hours before the tiny girl he called his friend. His eyes traced over her tiny form coolly, lingering on her face as her lips moved in silent conversation. He couldn't help but wonder what she dreamed about, in her weakest moments. Times like now, when she was so vulnerable, it was hard for him to control himself. He got a quick flash of the small girl - throat slit open and blood pooling around her: an easy kill - an easy victory. He shook the thought away, shivering a bit.

After his first kill, something had flicked on inside him that made him want nothing more than to completely destroy the other Tributes - he wanted to hunt them all down and destroy them in the most brutal way possible. But he had resisted, knowing he needed to stay close to District 1's sister - knowing he had to keep her wrapped around his finger long enough to lure her big brother to them. Without the blond, the "Careers" wouldn't be able to function - they'd be lost without the brain of their great and powerful leader.

A smirk planted itself on his face as he thought about how amazing it would feel, going home the Victor - being able to go home and never have to lift an axe for anything but pleasure. He could finally win over his father's approval - finally be able to provide his family with the life they deserved. And all he had to do was keep this sweet, sweet "little tree" nice and comfortable until her brother showed up to rescue her.

He vaguely wondered how she was so easily swayed in the first place - as if someone she had only just met would have any real concern for her safety. Her brother was furious, he was sure, when he saw them together. Good - he'd want revenge for losing his poor little sisters heart to him.

He saw her body slowly begin to stir and grinned, putting back on his mask to keep her so pathetically oblivious to his true intentions.

"Little tree, relax." He cooed as she began to panic, arms flailing around beside her once his absence sank in. Perfect - she was afraid without him.

"Those birds were pretty scary, weren't they?" He giggled, remembering his own fright as he awoke to the flock. Her confused frown made him smirk as a new idea popped into his head.

"You know," He said casually, from where he was hiding. She looked up towards him, though her eyes completely overlooked him. "You're not too chatty awake, but you don't ever seem to shut up when you're sleeping." He watched as he tensed, reaching for her throat.

He saw her wiggling out of their bed and chuckled to himself, pulling his axe back and smacking it into the tree just fast enough for her to be covered in the cool flowing liquid within. The trees, he had learned, were so large because of the massive tubes of water flowing in them.

"The trees - they have water in them." He informed her, as she sputtered back, looking somewhere between pissed-off and absolutely humiliated. He couldn't help but pity her

"We need to get you some camo." He said simply as she finally appeared to see him. Her face was beginning to look conflicted so he shifted back to "nice guy" mode, and hopped down in front of her as she began to do some strange hand motions. That got on his nerves - her inability to communicate like a normal person.

"I got it, Cy." Terrell said softly to her, tugging her gently towards the small stream from their tree, where he had created a make-shift ladder into the side of their current home - up to another branch. As she pulled herself onto it, he saw her face cringe at the sight of all his mixtures for their game of hide-and-seek. He rolled his eyes while she was distracted, mildly irritated, but not letting it show as he chirped,

"Oh relax, it only feels weird for a little bit - besides, you need to blend in, oh-pale-one." He took a small glob of brown and gently traced it across her forehead, letting his eyes wander her features. She was a very pretty girl, he had to admit. Her face was warm, despite the earlier splash of water, and he had to mask a smile. As he painted just below her lips, his thumb ran across them slowly, and he had an amazing idea. A slightly mischievous smile fell on his lips, despite his attempt to hide it.

He leaned in, still smirking, and heard her inhale sharply. At the sound he suddenly had very naughty thoughts about things he knew he could get away with this small, innocent girl. She was so trusting - so willing to believe he actually cared about her...

His lips playfully brushed hers as he contemplated the idea of having his way with her. Sure, if it went wrong, it would put a massive hole in his plan, but the idea of having a virgin - which he was now sure she was, by the slightly desperate way she leaned to catch his lips - was so tempting. He'd been with many girls, but virgins were always the most fun. They were just so trusting - so easy to please, too.

He let his fingers wander as he thought, feeling her heart beat hard and fast under his touch as he gently wandered closer to her breast, before pulling back up to her neck. He took his time, letting her shiver under his touch. God, it'd just be too easy. He caught her chin between his fingers, loving how she shivered so eagerly. Her eyes were closed, he also noticed, as he pulled himself from his thoughts.

"Oh, Cypress..." He whispered, feeling slightly guilty again - as he had the night before when she had so eagerly curled up in her arms.

An easy kill, did not mean he didn't pity her - and it sure didn't mean he wouldn't feel bad for ending such a sweet, sweet child's life. He rested his forehead against hers, breathing against her lips softly as he allowed himself to let go of his earlier thoughts.

He couldn't strip her of her innocence - not when he was already so eager to strip her of her life.


	6. Chapter 6

"Wake up, Cy." Cypresses eyes fluttered open at the soft purr in her ear. Her eyes adjusted slowly as the light filled her vision. He had let her sleep all night - that wasn't very fair! Just as she was about to start flailing her arms in irritation it registered:

That wasn't Terrells voice.

Her body jerked into action, lurching for their make-shift ladder to get away from the possible threat. Run now, talk later. Run now, talk later. Run now, talk later-

Strong hands grabbed her hips as she began scaling the tree in a desperate need to escape, pulling her back down. She clawed at the bark of her new-found home, feeling her nails try to bend backwards and just simply: not caring. Panic had flooded her veins, at this point. She didn't know how she could have missed the cannon sounding - how she could have missed the fighting!

"Cypress - Cypress, it's okay! It's just me! - You're brother!" She kept clawing though, kept trying to get away. He let out a growl in frustration and was lifted into the air - tugged away from her tree.

"He's okay, Cypress. I didn't kill him." He hissed, clearly angry she hadn't jumped into his arms with joy. It was at this her resolve run began to die out - where was Terrell? She needed to find out where he was - and her brother would tell her. He wouldn't get a choice.

Cypress turned on him, emerald eyes narrowed in clear irritation. Why hadn't he just killed her? She had clearly chosen to abandon him in the beginning, when she had ran away with Terrell. So what was he doing?

She stared into his eyes, trying to register what his train of thought was. His eyes weren't hard - just tired. His hair was messy and had taken on a new shade of blond from the dirt and sun-exposure - his face filthy and a bit holed-out. He hadn't been eating properly. This was strange, since the Careers usually run the food supply. Someone had stepped in their way, then. Good.

"Please, just come with me Cypress. I need you." He pleaded quietly, eyes burning into hers with mild desperation. Desperation. It was something she had yet to truly feel, due to her friend Terrells amazing skills. Anything from hunting to setting up shelter was his forte. All she had to do was sit there and be pretty; keep the sponsors loving them.

She nodded to her brother, indicating for him to show the way.

* * *

><p>He had come a long way, she noted dully as they exited her forest home. He seemed much taller than she remembered, as she looked at his back. He still trusted her at his back - something that would surely be a mistake, eventually. For now, she needed him. She needed to find her partner.<p>

"Cypress, I'm sorry everything turned out like this." He finally said after around an hour of walking. "I really am just trying to protect you - to get you home safe." His voice cracked and she flinched. Surely he was being sentimental - not serious. She would never make it home, with or without his help. She would never be able to beat whomever was left after he died, even if he managed to keep them both alive that long - as she was still going to leave with Terrell once he told her where he was.

She was going to die out here.

She reached up and wrapped her arm around his anyway, leaning her head against him in what she hoped would be a comforting way. He was her brother - even if the Capitol wanted to make him her enemy, he would never really be.

"Alright, we're here." He said simply, gesturing out at the nothingness of rock and the occasional tree. She raised an eyebrow, confused. It was so different from her own hiding place - though much more familiar to her. In the vast area called District 1 she had seen places like this before. The beaming sun could be easily deflected by simply finding a place to slip under the rocks. This was a place her brother flourished, she was sure. Which meant he had probably selected a deep cave somewhere along the cracks in the rocks.

She saw him move for one of the cracks and begin moving some rocks around and knew she had been right. This was dangerous - letting him lead her down here, but...

Cypress ran her fingers through her hair, following after her sibling as he gestured her to go down into the well-disguised hole. She lowered herself in, managing to wiggle down into the deep cavern safely. She was not confronted by anyone, at first. It wasn't until her brother joined her and they walked down a long hallway of stone that they finally found the circular room that was clearly their base. The fire that was lit up in the middle of the room indicated as much. The pair from District 2 was here, along with the girl from District 5 - whose face lit up as she saw them enter, and she launched herself at Pekin with such enthusiasm is was almost overwhelming.

"Thank goodness, you're okay." She said, shaking as he wrapped her up in a hug. Something tugged at her chest that made her very irritable as this happened.

"I told you I would be, Sara." So that was her name. Her hair was long, though tied up tightly in a braid, then wrapped 'round and 'round in a bun. With narrowed eyes, Cypress turned from the scene, looking for Terrell.

He wasn't there.

As if reading her mind, the boy from District 2 smirked at her a simply said, "You're way to gullible." before there was a sharp pain in the back of her head,

And she blacked out.

* * *

><p>Cypress was cold - so cold; being down under the ground made it difficult to tell the time, too. Either way, she had been kicking herself for falling for such a stupid trap. It was so simple it made her blush to think she had really managed to be fooled. Of course, Terrell would never let himself be captured - he was far too smart for that. He had probably heard Pekin coming and jumped off to another tree, knowing he wouldn't hurt her.<p>

"Cypress..." She heard the guilty note in her brother's voice. She crossed her arms across her chest and glared him down.

"It's just to get Terrell. I promise, I'll let you go when we have him." Her lips drew back again, showing her canines in a very animalistic way. She couldn't believe she had trusted him. How ridiculous to think he had retained any brotherly affection for her given the circumstances.

"Cy, you have to understand." He said, voice suddenly shifting to something more chiding. "Sylvanna wants to kill him personally - don't ask me why, because I have no clue - and she's got the most blood on her hands. Plus, the majority of Careers are her companions rather than mine or District 2s'. We don't have her as an enemy as long as we help her trap him. It's a good deal for us." There were so many flaws in this arrangement that Cypress saw without even having to think. Maybe there were parts he was leaving out, because she was sure her brother was smart enough to see them too.

Pekin gave her an innocent smile, before he turned and walked back out. As it turned out, there were multiple rooms in their cavern - and the one she was currently housed in was covered by some sort of fishing net they had acquired. It wasn't hard to escape the room, but she wasn't willing to piss them off and try her luck yet.

Honestly, part of her wanted to see if Terrell would come. Logically, she prayed he wouldn't. If anyone should win, she felt it was him, and if he managed to get down here there was no way he would make it back out - but at the same time, she wasn't really wanting to die down here either, and knew the only way she would escape was with his help.

Selfish, mm?

* * *

><p>Goddamnit.<p>

He knew the moment he saw that stupid blond approaching the place he had left Cypress what was going to happen. Not from intuition, just the fact he had heard them talking.

_"Pekin, are you sure you'll be okay?" Sara. That was her name. How pitiful she had grown so close to the stupid Careers, he had considered enlisting her himself. Unfortunately, his District partner - Sylvanna - had managed to talk her into teaming up with their group of misfits. It was such a waste of talent - the girl was wonderful with her herbs and an infinite amount of medical knowledge. Maybe once he took out blond-y here she would trade over Sylvanna and join an actual force to be feared. Like himself._

_... plus the little tree, too, he supposed. He couldn't very well just kick her to the curb with all his sponsors drooling over their "kinda-sorta romance". He would at least take her to final six, if she survived that long._

_"I'll be fine, Sara. I just have to convince her we have her little lover-boy and she'll follow without any questions." Pekin assured, his voice a bit less affectionate for his sister than Terrell felt it should have been. In fact, it was a bit disturbing and even more so-_

_... wait, lover-boy?_

_He most certainly was not her "lover-boy" - he was someone who was milking her pathetic need for affection to get sponsors so he would at least be able to live comfortably out in this Hell hole. Though, he was forced to acknowledge the slight heat in his cheeks as he frowned at the four below him._

District 2 was there, but they apparently had nothing to say. They never had anything to say, he'd noticed. How could Pekin stand that? They were clearly sneaking around - clearly only in it for each other.

Why would he stay with them? What was his plan?

He shook his head, sighing to himself. It was rather lonely without his Little Tree around to talk to, but he just couldn't afford to go after her. About half of the twenty four was in that cave, and he knew they were probably working as Sylvannas' toys. Sylvanna had hated him since they were kids - and this was the perfect opportunity to knock him out of her perfect world. But still...

He could practically feel those big green eyes staring at him, so confused and hurt and... understanding.

That's what burned the most. He knew she would understand - he knew she would forgive him for not coming to her rescue, like every sponsor he had wanted. It made him feel disgusting, despite himself. He knew he would have to kill her to get home, but he was starting to hope someone else would do it for him. He didn't want to see those eyes filled with so much pain... so much... betrayal. He didn't want to betray her.

But then, part of him did.

The part of him that was focused on survival, and winning, was eager to kill her. Like when they were in the tree and he was watching her sleep. Or when he was toying with her head as he painted her up. Part of him got a kick out of the idea of her so willing to submit to him - so easy to dispose of if he had to. This part of him was what he had allowed control, as in the arena one couldn't let themselves feel. You couldn't feel sorry for them - you had to kill them to survive.

Terrell sighed again, frown growing as he hopped down from his hiding place. He wouldn't be able to live with himself, if he let them have her - not knowing she only went for him. She only let them have her to protect him.

He grabbed his axe off his shoulder, moving quietly towards the hole he had watched them crawl into.

He wouldn't let them have his Little Tree.

* * *

><p>She could hear people talking, but she had no clue where they were. Her black curls were surrounding her head in a sort of halo as she lie there, staring at the stones above her. The voices were growing closer, but she didn't know, or care, what they were saying. She needed to find a way to escape - she had to get out before she ran the risk of Terrell coming for her. She had to keep him safe-<p>

"So you're Cypress, right?" A female voice asked from the entrance. Cypress didn't bother to acknowledge her - there was no reason for her to give any sort of response to such a stupid question. She was still kicking herself over all of this, and it didn't feel great knowing she was surrounded by assholes who were looking forward to killing her.

She knew her brother had promised freedom, but that was such a stupid notion. They wouldn't let her leave.

"He was planning on killing you, y'know." She purred, and Cypress lulled her head to look at her. "You're precious Terrell - he was going to kill you. I saved your life." She made sure to keep all emotion off her face, though she felt a shiver roll through her tiny body.

"He was going to cut you down, the second he got his claws in your brother - he was planning on taking out the "leader" of the Careers. Only your brother ended up not being the leader - I did." It was then Cypress could put a name to this girls face.

Sylvanna.

* * *

><p>"Little Tree..." Terrell called softly, trying to keep his frustration down as he followed yet another empty tunnel. This was beginning to be painful - mentally, anyway. He wasn't even certain she was still alive, much less if he could ever find her. Well, that wasn't entirely true. No cannon had sounded, so she was clearly alive - unless the thundering blast didn't reach this far underground. There was a tug in his chest as he moved silently down the hall, careful not to make a sound as he glanced between the cameras. These disgusting pigs were enjoying his misery - enjoying hers, too, surely. He refused to let himself think of all the terrible things the other tributes could do to his Little Tree, so weak and defenseless; with a brother that had turned his back on her and led her to the place that would be her tomb if Terrell didn't find her.<p>

"... I just don't see why we're even keeping her alive. He'll come either way!" A female voice complained. The raven-haired boy quickly jumped behind a nearby boulder, into the shadows of the dark caverns.

"Because Pekin and District 2 would bail." A boy explained, seemingly irritated.

"They have to die anyway!"

"You know as well as I do the second Sylvanna gets her boy she'll kill all five of them. Then this place will finally become the death trap it was meant to be."

Great - now he would have to drag them out too. Unless, of course, Cypress was still angry with her sibling. Then it would be easy to leave them behind, in her rage with him. He was praying for that as he picked up a medium-sized stone and tossed it obnoxiously ahead of him.

Silence followed.

Terrell quickly examined his situation, and began placing together different scenarios. The fact that the pair stopped showed they were surprised - which meant they were supposed to be the only ones in this hall. Good - easy kill as long as screaming is kept at a minimum.

"... anyway," the female started slowly, still nervous as she spoke. "I doubt Sylvanna will stay down here after Pekin is gone - he's the one who mapped out the tunnels, and you _know _they're being 'intimate' will hurt her." So Pekin was doing Sara _and _Sylvanna? Kudos to him!

Their voices were getting closer, so Terrell shifted his axe in his hands, gripping it tightly. He'd have to be fast - he would need to keep the noise down so that he could continue on safely to Cypress.

The girls blond curls caught his attention as they turned the corner, walking right passed him. He could let them live as long as they didn't turn-

"I don't think 'intimacy' hurts much when you're using them. Kind of like how I won't give much of a damn about when Pekins little brat gets sliced in half." The guy laughed, but Terrell was seeing red at a speed the train into the Capitol could never even dream of going. He'd hurt his Tree? That sweet, sweet child who couldn't even...

His axe was planted in the girl before she could even hope to scream, and the butt of it landed swiftly against the guys jaw. He heard a crack and was only excited further into violence as he began violently slamming the axe into the guys' neck, not caring about the blood splattering everywhere as the males head finally detached itself from his shoulders. His body collapsed in a very theatric way as Terrell turned back to the girl, slamming the axe down in the back of her head.

"Fuck you." He spat, snarling a bit.

* * *

><p>Sylvannas visit turned out less than pleasant, to say the least. She was still in a great deal of pain in unpleasant places, and her brother had yet to return and see her. She couldn't even clean up any from the very... vulgar attack of the boy from District 9. So much blood - so much fucking blood, and so much... her body convulsed and she rolled into the fetal position, tears beginning to spill over. She held onto the pride of not crying when he had done it; not making it easy. She could at least say she fought - everyone saw her fight back home. She was a fighter.<p>

Crying now, she knew, was not shameful. This was something bad - something she was going to have to deal with before it hindered her ability to compete in the games. She needed to get out, though. The idea of this becoming a regular form of torture was unbearable; she would, frankly, rather be torn limb from limb and bleed out everywhere.

Cypress lie there a little longer, letting herself weep over the pain - the additional bite marks and cuts adding to her trauma - before forcing herself up onto her knees. She straightened her clothes, tears still slipping down her cheeks silently as she moved towards her net doorway. She began tearing at it, cutting her hands up along with everything else as she ripped a hole in the weak fabric.

"So, you're really gonna try it." The voice was familiar - the girl her brother had held in his arms upon his return. Emerald eyes searched for the girl, landing on her just to the right of the doorway, leaning there. Her arms were crossed over her chest, eyes closed in a relaxed state. How unfortunate for her.

.. how long had she been there? Rage suddenly filled her, replacing her pain. Had she known what that boy did? Had she stood guard, while he did it?

As if reading her mind, the girl looked at her, face wiped of any emotion.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

><p>Terrell had managed to get control of himself, as he stalked down the hall. He checked their shoulders, seeing the boy was District 9, and the girl District 6. Which meant that was the last of both Districts - good. Their District should feel nothing but shame for knowing them; they certainly didn't deserve to win. Killing someone was one thing, brutally raping them was another entirely. Psychological torture wasn't something needed in the games - you didn't need to hurt someone like that - which meant it was just for kicks. He did it because he was a sick kid, not because he needed to. There was no excuse he could have given that would have been worthy of forgiveness.<p>

He had continued sneaking down the halls, but heard no others talking. Maybe they had heard the cannons sound and were also sneaking about. Either way, he was going to get her out of here. He had decided, after hearing the boy from earlier, that he wouldn't let that happen to her again. No one would hurt her again - not like that; not while he was around to stop them. A quick hack to her neck would be easier to deal with for the people who cared about her back home, and he was sure she would prefer it to such a deep torment.

"I'm sorry."

Terrell ducked down, peeking around the corner of his tunnel slowly to assess the damage. He saw Sara, leaning against the wall and talking to... Cypress!

... But it didn't look like her.

Her body was bruised, and he could clearly see she was covered in blood. Her own blood. A shudder ran through him as he saw the rips in her clothing, rage trying to launch him onto the red-headed bitch before him. He didn't care she was apologizing, he wanted a couple hacks at her for his own twisted pleasure. He looked to Cypresses eyes, noting the tears still making their way down her face - but her face was crystal clear. She held no feeling on it besides the apparently uncontrollable tears. Even her normally sweet eyes were smoldering with apathy - and it drove him absolutely insane. He couldn't stand seeing her like this.

* * *

><p>Sorry? <em>SORRY?<em>

The rage began to bubble over as she tore the net away and stepped into the hall, working hard to keep her face calm and unreadable. Her lips parted, clearly wanting to spit out something in reply to her pathetic apology. If the ability was there, she wanted it to show itself. She wanted her voice to be strong and angry - she wanted to strangle this girl. She wanted her to be very aware she was going to die here - that her lack of morality was going to be her downfall.

_SPEAK!_

She ordered her body, but nothing happened, at first. Of course, then something amazing happened.

An axe lodged itself in the girls' forehead, and in another moment she was pulled into a tight embrace. Cypress didn't fight it, as the smell of pine needles filled her nose and the familiar arms held onto her like he was afraid she would try to run. But she wouldn't run from him - no, she trusted this man who was clinging so desperately to her. This man who had come to her rescue, even though he knew it would probably end in both of their deaths.

This man she had grown such a great fondness for, without even noticing it happening.

Cypress wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest and inhaling his scent, letting herself feel safe. She smiled to herself as her lips parted again, leaving just enough of an opening for a single word of thanks to escape - a single word of affection.

"Terrell."


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, guys! So I finally managed to dig up the strength to add a chapter after a year of nothingness. I hope you all didn't give up on me! I'd like to apologize again for the wait, and hope you all enjoy the long-awaited update! As always, reviews, messages, follows, favorites, etc. are welcome and much appreciated. Had I not gotten so many messages and reviews inspiring me I may have just walked away from this.

- Razz

* * *

><p>Cypress held on to the surprised Terrell a little longer, face buried in his shirt. He didn't resist, squeezing her tighter to him before he released her and escaped her grasp. They could discuss the magic of her new-found voice when they weren't staring down death in a bunch of dark tunnels. He lifted his axe from the dead woman's face, not bothering to ask if Cypress was okay; already knowing the answer. Rage bubbled into him again, though he concealed it as his fingers wrapped around her wrist and his blue eyes met her green.<p>

"We need to leave." Now that he had found the tattered and broken girl he was feeling the weight of his exhaustion – and was lacking the will and power to swing his hefty weapon. Sensing this, the silent girl nodded slightly before she looked around, a bit confused as to which direction they should be going. He took the lead after a moment, retracing his steps as they weaved their way through the maze before he realized: this might be the last chance he had to take out Pekin and Sylvanna before his 'partner' from District 7 did it herself. This made him pause in his step as he glanced down at a pair of understanding green eyes.

"Cypress…" He was beginning to feel something new bubbling from under his normally aggressive and manipulative nature – though he wasn't quite sure what it was. It seemed like his 'nice guy' act was becoming less forced as time went on; he found himself staring down at her for a long moment before her fingers reached out and took the butt of his axe. As new as his own kindness was, he saw a matching difference flicker over her face and almost scowled. He released the weapon to her grasp and she nodded a bit, her body shifting to one side from the extra weight.

With her now free hands she placed two fingers against her lips, before resting them against his cheek lightly. He couldn't help but smile before they continued on their path, a new bounce in their step. It had been decided, it seemed; his Little Tree wasn't as un-receptive as he imagined she would be. As if fate – or come to think of it, the people in control of the game - was in line with their chosen course of action, Terrell and Cypress caught sight of Pekin and Sylvanna heading in the opposite direction.

"Cy?" Pekin spoke slowly, seeing her bloody and beaten body with a new wave of alarm. "What happened?" Terrell eyed the confrontation with a mildly pained expression. If things continued how they were going now they were all going to slaughter each other down here; he was wishing he hadn't handed over his axe. However, Cypresses face was cold and despite his waiting on it: the look of resolve never left her pale face.

"What a predicament." Sylvanna mused and Terrells eyes shifted from the silently feuding siblings to his 'partner' with some disgust. The fact she had orchestrated this scheme and everyone had been so keen on going with it was just a sign of how weak minded everyone really was here; only further solidified his decision that none of them deserved to be the Victor. Well, excluding the little girl next to him. His eyes trailed down to her messy hair and slightly hunched position as her knuckles went white holding his weapon. She looked so… _beautiful, _for lack of a better word; had they met in a different life he may have found himself fawning after her in a few years. But with the life they were given…

Terrell shook the thoughts away, deciding to deal with the situation at hand. "Little Tree, I can handle this." He held out a hand for the weapon and she hesitated – before she shook her head slightly. Her fingers tapped her lips again and he understood what she meant: 'let me help you this time'. A pang in his heart made him turn away from the gesture, knowing well she was incapable of fighting her brother. He could barely bring himself to return to the scene before he saw – with only the most obvious horror – Sylvanna launch at his tiny friend. She had a sword in had he hadn't noticed; he cursed softly as Cypress blocked the slice with some effort. Terrell didn't like feeling helpless, but from his lack of weaponry and frustration with letting the women fight it out he had to accept he was to fight the other man. To his surprise, Pekin didn't attack immediately.

"You're Terrell?" He asked slowly and when the raven-haired man nodded he scowled slightly. He hadn't needed to ask – it was quite obvious, if he said so himself. He vaguely wondered how someone so shady was related to the bright woman he had partnered up with; these thoughts were interrupted as the man swung a fist at him.

Terrell was working hard to contain his murderous tendencies as the man struck him, snarling slightly as he snapped back to attention. His own fist collided with the males jaw; effectively knocked him off-balance before he pounced. The raven-haired man shoved him to the ground with another blow to the stomach, wondering why it was he had decided to engage in a fist-fight when he was clearly outmatched. District 7 was known for housing strong men and women – after all, they swung axes around all day and carried lumber. However, Terrell didn't fret too much about it; was pleased he had been given the advantage to everything so far in these games. He brutally beat the man beneath him for everything he had caused – losing control in only a few breaths as he thought about the way he had treated Cypress. This was all his fault.

Every terrible thing that had happened to the little tree was because her brother had done exactly as he knew he would: he betrayed her. He betrayed her to extend his own life and the man on top was disgusted by his existence. He only paused for a moment to rein in his rage; having doubts about killing his companions brother. After all, no matter what he had done the small woman was obviously still going to love him – if anyone should kill him it would have to be her. Or, she would at least have to offer her approval for him to do so.

"Cypress!" The blond rasped from beneath him as Terrells fingers curled around his neck menacingly. Despite his decision to let the male go he knew better than to make eye contact with her pained face, for fear his own would show the bloodlust he was battling with as he watched her brothers eyes roll back in defeat.

Cypress was quick to return an attack on Sylvanna – after all, it was her fault that Pekin had betrayed her; as the axe missed another fatal blow she almost scowled. It wasn't until the dark-haired woman's own blade came swooping down that green-eyed girl remembered how to move. The woman cursed when the blade missed its target and in one swift motion Cypress managed to land a blow of the thicker bladed weapon into her leg. Sylvanna howled with a combination of rage and pain as her knee collapsed beneath her and the raven-haired woman just stared down at her. It was almost too easy to just end her life.

The very idea of killing a person – no matter how brutal and petty they were – brought tears to her eyes as she stood above her. She wanted to end it for so many reasons: it would be another step to victory for her, she would have gotten rid of the main antagonist after her, Terrell would be more than pleased by the useful development; the game would be another step closer to being over. It would all be over in just a few more hacks at the less-fortunate players to fall into their path. However, despite this knowledge, tears overflowed and she sniffled softly. Confusion and disgust flared on Sylvannas face at the sight, but she remained silent.

"Cypress!" Pekin caught her attention and she noticed Terrell now had the man pinned beneath him, hands around his throat. Her comrade was clearly trying not to meet her gaze as her brothers bloody and broken appearance pleaded for mercy. A sharp pain in her side made her whimper, vision almost immediately tunneling as the searing pain lit her body on fire. Rage bubbled to the surface as she grit her teeth, turning her attention back to Sylvanna. The other woman had successfully cut open her side – though at their close proximity she failed to make it fatal. Before the woman could pull it back for another attack Cypress buried her axe in the woman's shoulder, tears spilling over more violently. She hadn't wanted to do this – she never wanted to do this; why was she the one to be made to do such a horrendous thing?

Her eyes screwed shut as she struck again, this time burying it in the woman's neck with a soft sob. A gurgling noise was heard before it fell silent; she heard the faint sound of a cannon echoing above the ground. She didn't open her eyes until she turned to Terrell again – whose expression held something to pity in them as he sat on her (hopefully) unconscious brother.

Her first kill.

* * *

><p>It hadn't taken long for Terrell and Cypress to escape the caves – it had actually been fairly easy when the game makers sent an earthquake and the whole thing began falling apart. Much to Terrells glee, Cypress had opted to leave her brother behind rather than drag him along. The small females wound hadn't went long unattended, as when they finally set up camp in another tree and restocked on supplies a lovely little canister dropped before them.<p>

"Please be bandaging." Terrell muttered as he walked over to the thing; opening it to find that, indeed it was bandages. The man looked around, mouthing the words 'thank you' in no particular direction just in case someone was watching. Cypress was leaned against the tree half-asleep as the sun began to fall. They hadn't escaped too far from the caves, so the game makers had no reason to try and push them into confrontation and bother them in the night. He returned to the weakened little girl and gently shook her back to life.

"Little Tree, I have to wrap you up." He muttered softly to her and her almost lifeless green eyes landed on the canister in his hand. A hint of a blush came to her cheeks as she realized this required removing her top and he hid a wicked grin. Despite the kindness he showed her it was hard to control such raging hormones at his age – even though he was facing death every few hours.

"I have to or you're going to bleed out." Terrell added seriously and saw her face tug into a worried little frown. It once again occurred to him she was still so innocent; she had probably never been exposed in such a way. But after a moment's hesitation she obliged him, sitting up so that they could pull her tattered jacket off of her. He watched her face twist in pain at the stretching and his own eyebrows furrowed slightly as she stopped long enough to catch her breath.

"Just a little more, Cypress." He murmured encouragingly and she nodded to him. He noted her jacket may as well just be tossed to the wolves and set the ripped thing aside before turning back around. Honestly, the blue-eyed male was slightly embarrassed to find her already undressed in the moment he turned around; he tried not to eye her physique. Cypress wouldn't meet his eye, her face a bright red despite the darkness beginning to close in around him. At the sound of thunder he cursed and began digging in his pack once again.

He found a tarp and began setting it up along the limbs above them – just high enough they could sit under it and not get soaked – and tied it tight. He mumbled apologies to his exposed friend before continuing his initial mission. Gently, he took out one of the bandages and wrapped it around his hand before dipping it into some water. He lightly ran it along the cut, grateful to find it wasn't as deep as all the blood made it appear. Cypress never made a sound, despite the occasional jerk from the pain, and he could have smiled at the sight of her covering her breasts as she stared at the limb beneath them.

"In another life," Terrell broke their awkward silence as he finished his cleaning and used the remaining fabric to bandage her up. "I might have fallen for someone like you." The admission made her turn to face him, holding more than surprise on her unusually pale face before the red returned slowly. Her eyes dropped again suddenly and she bit her lower lip for a moment – as if trying to think of a response.

"Terrell." She breathed his name for the second time that day and he couldn't help but smile. Her voice was hoarse from lack of use, but it was still so lovely. It only added to the beauty that the only thing she ever seemed to manage to say was his name. When he finished his bandaging he removed his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Despite the filth covering it, it was in much better shape than her own. She accepted it with a grateful little smile as the rain began tapping against their make-shift tent. He leaned against the tree beside her, pulling their spare blanket out and offering it to her casually. Cypress shook her head and moved closer to him – wrapping it around them both as the sky lit up with the fallen. There were only eleven of them left, it appeared.

His eyes wandered down to the girl nuzzled into his side; not missing her tears as his arm wrapped around her and pulled her closer. It was almost time for them to part ways now that the numbers had thinned so rapidly. To be honest, now that the time was here, he wasn't sure if he could leave her alone. Not after everything that had happened to her and between them. He knew it would be better if he did – it would be easier if he cut the friendship off while he could – but as she wrapped her arms around him so helplessly he knew he wouldn't go.

"Cypress, don't cry." He muttered as the chill of the night began to settle in. He didn't want to run the risk of trapping her in the sleeping bag in case she began bleeding again or someone arrived on their doorstep; so instead he unzipped the thing and laid it over the top of them as he gently laid her down.

Cypress looked at him then – her face tear streaked and desperate as they lay there in silence. The only sound around them was the faint growls and howling noises from below. Terrell watched with growing amusement as her eyes wandered down to his lips before she bit her own again and shifted her gaze.

Ah. So that's what she wanted.

"Cypress." He breathed softly, pulling her against him gently as one hand laced itself through her knotted, filthy locks of raven hair. His eyes met hers again for a long moment and it occurred to him she had probably never even had a boyfriend – much less dealt with someone… like him. With that thought tickling at his mind he leaned down slowly and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. Cypress responded as expected: initial shock, embarrassment, shyly kissing back, and then _desire_. His teeth gently nibbled at her lower lip and he felt her gasp; with a smirk he slid his tongue into her mouth. One hand gently found her hip as they laid there – lips locked and his thumb gently rubbing circles into her hip. Her hands were resting against his chest, fingers knotted in his shirt as their tongues battled for dominance.

Terrell submitted to her on a whim, allowing the bashful girl to caress his mouth for a moment before he let out a soft, pleasured sound when she tickled the roof of his mouth. She responded with a jump - about to stop and pull away before his hand moved from her hair to her cheek, stroking reassuringly as his own tongue mimicked her earlier advances curiously. Eventually, however, he let her break the surprisingly intense kiss to breathe; was only slightly amused to find her panting. He pulled away slowly; looking over her slightly parted and bruised, cherry-colored lips with less innocent desire before kissing her forehead.

He realized he had made a fatal mistake in letting these feelings grow; a knot forming in his stomach as he acknowledged their mortality. One of them was going to die before this was all over, and that idea hurt him more deeply than he would ever be able to admit. With all his scheming and manipulations he hadn't realized his affection for her – and now it was too late.

"Terrell." Cypress called weakly, apparently experiencing similar feelings of agony over their fate as she tugged at his shirt. He risked looking at her teary eyes and almost winced as she tried to blink them clear. He sighed as he closed his eyes, wishing he had thought about such an outcome when he enlisted the small girl in his arms; inwardly berating himself for making such a stupid mistake—

Soft, desperate lips caught his again and he jumped, eyes shooting open to find the smaller girls had fluttered closed. With a smile, he returned the aching kiss; well aware it was probably the stupidest thing he could have ever done.

* * *

><p>Cypress woke to the sound of rain and shuddered from the cool humidity around them. She rubbed her emerald eyes a bit before turning her attention to the boy beside her; her face bright red when memories of their night came flooding back. Not that they had done anything wrong – just kissed a few times before she drifted off to sleep. Her side was still aching, but she ignored it as she curled into the male next to her for a few more moments of peace. Their shelter hadn't been perfect, but it had kept them mostly dry; the thundering storm over head was successfully keeping it dark and foggy enough to hide their location. She doubted someone could see two feet in front of them; much less a few stories into the air.<p>

Terrell grumbled something in his sleep and she smiled, brushing stray hairs out of his face. She wondered if he'd been telling the truth about her sleep talking that day, now that she had discovered her voice. Well, for the most part anyway. Her stomach growled obnoxiously as she blushed a bit, glad he wasn't awake to hear such a sound. She looked around slowly, debating the likelihood of something edible being this high up the tree.

Finding it would be a useless endeavor, the small girl went searching through their pack with a silent huff. Finding a small thermos she wondered if it was even any good before sniffing it curiously, she couldn't help but smile to find it was still warm. Capitol food really was amazing, even for someone as blessed as herself who grew up on the better end of the District life. She dug a bit deeper to find a small loaf of bread before gently nudging Terrell awake; unable to hide her blush when his eyes peeled open to meet hers.

"Hungry, little tree?" He mused huskily when she offered him the soup she had found tucked into their bag, nibbling on the bread a bit shyly as her eyes avoided his. He grinned a bit as he sat up and took the offered food - drinking it rather than wasting his time with a spoon before trading for the bread. It would be okay to use their remaining rations today, since it was more than likely they would be forced to go fight more tomorrow; if they both came out unwounded he could just hunt down some food for them. Thinking of wounds made him glance down at Cypresses side a bit worriedly, frowning a bit despite himself. It was unlikely she would be able to move around too much in her current condition, much less make it down the tree and be able to fight someone off. A fairly large predicament indeed.

"How's your side?" Terrell questioned softly, voice a bit tense when she bit her lower lip. Cypress did a few gestures he took to mean: "It's okay, just hurts a lot more than I'm going to let you know!" and inwardly cringed. A sword to the side was definitely something to be concerned with; especially when it was so close to impaling her in the stomach. He ran his fingers through his hair, reminding himself he shouldn't care - he was going to be the Victor anyway. If she died before he was forced to kill her it would be a blessing, not something to be hurt over.

Cypress eyed him a bit worriedly when he sighed a bit, finishing their small meal with a silent sigh of her own. It was already well pressed into her that Pekin had survived the caves collapse; that was a painful idea. Her life would have been much easier if he would have just died down there-

She winced her own hostilities, biting down on her lower lip. This wasn't who she was meant to be; she almost wished she would have died down there instead of her more-than-brutal first time at intimacy. It would have been so much easier than dealing with this mess she had found herself in. Frankly, she never thought it would be this dramatic to deal with. Killing people shouldn't be dramatic - it should be something painful and depressing, but not dramatic. Only monsters found pleasure in the drama of this murderous arena they created.

"Cypress," Terrell said slowly, catching her attention as she looked to him. His arm wrapped around her as he tugged her into his side and buried his face in her hair. "I think we need to split up now."

The tiny female tried to rip away and see his face, but he held her firmly in place. She felt the tension in his body as he spoke, begging her to understand. "One of us is going to die in here, little tree. I don't want to be hurt - or hurt you, for that matter - when that time comes. There's only eleven of us left, and probably less than that when tonight rolls around. I can't kill you, and I know you wouldn't want to kill me. It would be easier if someone else did it, right?" His words were rushed, but they did nothing for the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. She understood what he was saying; it had been what drew her to his lips the second time when that misery spread through her like fire. Her pain from this was overtaken by an eerie calm, nodding slightly into his chest.

"Terrell," Cypress managed to wiggle out of his hold, looking up at him as her hands rested on his chest weakly. His lips caught hers in a chaste kiss, an apology she wasn't ready for. Her eyes fluttered closed as she returned the gesture of affection, fingers digging into his shirt weakly. She understood - she could deal with this solution. It was all okay as long as this would make it easier on him.

"I'm sorry, Cypress." She shook her head as he mumbled against her lips, pressing his forehead to hers as he hugged her tightly. She nuzzled into his neck after a moment, willing herself to let the pain of this decision free so that they could carry on with this sick game. Terrells lips pressed firmly against her forehead for a moment before their attachment was broken by a familiar howl. She dared not look down to see the creatures she knew were below - trying to ignore the scream that reached them from the fog below.

Yes, this was most definitely a sick, sadistic game.

* * *

><p>Alright, guys! The time has come! Please, if you're reading this story go check out the poll and take a <strong><span>vote<span> **on who you think the **winner **should be. The one with the most votes gets to survive, so if you have a favorite you better move your tail before I close it! It will be closed once I reach the final stages of the story - which is coming up, you guys! (/sobs quietly;;) - and I will make an ending accordingly. You never really know though, I may make multiple endings depending on how much feedback I get.

(;

Thanks for the support, guys!

- Razz


	8. Chapter 8

Cypress groaned as she sat up, scowling as her eyes narrowed angrily; her lips pulling into something of a snarl. Terrell had been gone when she awoke those two mornings ago, though he was kind enough to leave her their campsite. Unfortunately, he didn't leave her a weapon, which was what her problem was currently. A tribute she didn't care to identify stood over her with a mace in hand, gazing down at her with a familiar coldness that made her want to cower down from him.

"I'm sorry." His voice did nothing to covey any kind of sympathy and in turn she spat at him, glaring defiantly as his weapon rose over his head.

"Coward." Cypress managed to hiss out as it came on a downward swing, and the surrounding area was filled with a resounding 'thwack!'

* * *

><p>Terrell had been avoiding coming into contact with Cypress in his hunt for the other tributes (and most definitely not watching the skies to make sure her face didn't appear); though the new-found monstrosities wandering about did nothing to soothe him on his hunt. The game makers had created a horde of hell-hounds that wandered the earth, along with multiple other woodland creatures that had been mutilated and deformed in their own ways. Honestly, most he managed to catch sight of appeared to be half-decomposed and were horrific; he tried to ignore the fact he was quietly wondering how Cypress was handling the new terrors roaming about.<p>

An ear-splitting howl carried on the wind and he winced as his grip tightened on his axe. He felt guilty leaving her the way he did – it was more than disgruntling to feel like he was slipping out of bed like some one-night stand – but it was a necessary evil. Had he waited until she was awake he wouldn't have managed to leave, and then they would both be hiding from hell-hounds in a mountainous terrain. Or, he supposed, they might still be together hiding in a tree and safe for the most part.

Terrell sighed, releasing a cloud of breath as he did so. As it turned out, the game makers had pushed him to the snowy area in an attempt to force battle using their frightening monsters as sheep dogs. It had been dark and gloomy due to the constant storm of swirling snow and crystalline structures that apparently overshadowed the trees here. There was no water to be found outside of the frozen trees, which would be great except for the fact it took more power than he could currently muster to beat into it enough to gather any.

In other words, he was at his wits end with survival; he was ready for the game to be over.

With this thought in mind he trudged on, his breath leaving a faded trail of clouds as he made his way through the mountainous surroundings. His lips twisting into a scowl the higher he climbed, trying to ignore the fact that his death was all but closing in on him as the air only seemed to drop even more in temperature. Then again, there could also be the fact he could hear the familiar crunch of snow getting louder and louder.

"Terrell!" Well, that was a familiar voice indeed, wasn't it? The dark-haired boy turned to face the red-faced brother with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Pekin." He acknowledged as he rested his weapon over his shoulder, eyeing the others mace with a bit of worry. It was doubtful the boy really knew how to use it, but even so it was a dangerous weapon. Their eyes met for a brief second before the lighter-haired of the pair began glancing around for, presumably, Cypress. His eyes widened in a bit of panic before they narrowed in on Terrell again; something of a snarl pulling into place.

"We had to split up." He commented with a lazy grin, tilting his head to one side as the tension only thickened.

"I'm sure." Pekin ground out, a look of hesitation crossing his features for a moment then. Obviously, he was looking for Cypress – but why? It wasn't like the girl was going to welcome him back with open arms after everything that had transpired between them, so why…? A knowing look came to the boy's face as his axe dropped in front of him, eyeing the brother distrustfully.

"You're looking to kill her then?" He asked casually, though rage was bubbling in his stomach.

_After everything that girl did for him …_

"Or were you hoping to see her again before you died?"

… _he was just going to show up and kill her?_

"I was hoping to make it painless for her; it's not like you really care anyway."

"You've fucking lost it, bastard."

There was a tense moment of silence between them; glaring daggers as Terrell debated how distraught his little tree would be over this boy's loss. Even though he just admitted to not giving a damn about her and was looking for her death despite the fact they were close to the finale. Cypress could win this thing; it would just take a bit more fierceness from her, which she was apparently more-than-ready to release if the time called for it.

God, they were _family_. How could someone just cut those ties so easy?

The slightly crazed look in Pekins eye was answer enough before the boy launched; Terrell stumbled back a bit to avoid being hit. Even though he had been looking to rid the game of Cypresses brother, this was not the way he had envisioned. Killing him now was doing the boy a favor before the madness drove him into the shadow of his former self.

Pekin Poteert had finally broken.

* * *

><p>Cypress stumbled through the forest as quickly as she could manage; having just escaped death by the mercy of her brother was not something she would be able to forget easily. He still loved her – even with all of these things happening, he was still looking out for her on some level. She wasn't going to complain that the level he was looking out for her on was a bit disturbing and made her stomach churn, and rather basked in the joy that he had saved her from a horrific fate.<p>

_Cypress hadn't realized her eyes were closed until she felt warmth dripping onto her eyelids; before she thought about it they sprung open and bile rose in her throat. The tribute who had been ready to kill her was frozen in shock, and had she not seen the massive dent in the side of his head she probably wouldn't have been able to tell he was dead standing. Another whack – after what felt like hours though it was just seconds – had him sprawled to her left and sounded a canon._

_"Cypress, are you alright?" Her brothers' voice was cool and collected; her head snapped in his direction with something close to horror before she sprung away from him. She vaguely realized she had gripped the boys' large mallet as she stumbled to stand and put distance between them. Her green eyes were trained on his with obvious mistrust, and he smiled. It was a melancholy smile that made her heart clench as he met her gaze._

_"I'll take that as a yes." Pekin murmured, nodding his head a bit before stepping towards her; earning a step back from his former companion._

_He paused._

_"I'm not going to hurt you, Cy." He commented before continuing, this time she held still as he dropped his weapon beside them and wrapped his arms around the tense girl; kissing her head softly. She didn't return the gesture and his hold tightened for a moment before he leaned down in her ear – muttering barely audible as he spoke to her._

_"I'm going to step back and grab my weapon; you're going to run from me. I love you, Cypress; be smart." True to his word, he stepped back and grabbed his weapon lazily, eyeing her with a worried face before she narrowed her eyes and obeyed. The dark-haired girl didn't look back; ready to take the second chance from her brother without much thought._

_"I love you, too." Cypress whispered, her voice cracking a bit as she bolted into the trees and vanished from his sight._

Emerald eyes fluttered closed as she heaved herself off the forest floor; not wanting to be caught in the darkness with the animals below. This was it, she knew. This would be the last night before the finale; the tiny girl rubbed her eyes before beating a hole into the tree with her new weapon; smiling as water poured out before cleaning herself up some. Afterwards she refilled her canteen and leaned against the drier part of the tree with a sigh.

The anthem began playing and she turned away from the sky – determined not to look for her brother or Terrell – before the first flash caught her attention. Cypress couldn't resist; found herself on the edge of her seat waiting to see if one of them was among the fallen.

Her heart twisted painfully when his face flashed into the night sky.

He was gone.

Cypress felt the tears pooling in her eyes as the night sky flashed and she was left alone to her thoughts. Grinding her teeth as waves of unexpected agony tossed her tiny form into a hunch, she found herself sobbing into her knees. It wasn't something she had expected so soon – too fast – and the idea that he was no longer a part of this world only shredded what little hope she had left. The small girl had never wanted to die so badly in all her life.

* * *

><p>Terrell stared up at the sky.<p>

This wasn't such a bad way to die, he had to admit. Pekin hadn't been able to bash his skull in on itself; when he had went for the killing blow the boy pulled out a blade he hadn't noticed before and it had cut straight through his abdomen. When the weapon was removed, the blond had the kindness to roll him over for him to see the sky before he sat beside him, apparently uncaring that his hand was still firmly around his axe. Or that blood was pooling around them from the slow-dying male.

That was alright; he didn't have the strength – or energy, really – to kill him now. Pekin knew that.

"I love your sister." He said after a moment of enjoying the silence – feeling himself slowly beginning to slip into the cool embrace of death. It wasn't as terrifying as he had imagined. "I wish I would have told her as much." His eyes closed and he knew it would be for the last time. The energy to continue on was long gone from his form, it seemed.

"I'll tell her." Pekin responded, voice barely above a whisper as the other male offered him a tired, closed-eyed grin. "For taking care of her when I couldn't." It had seemed the man wasn't as insane as he had appeared; somewhere in their fight it had become clear to Terrell that his desperation to win was because he needed Terrell dead for _her_ to win. Cypress couldn't beat Terrell; despite knowing he loved her, Terrell wasn't sure if he would have sacrificed himself for her.

Well, until now, anyway.

"I would have let her kill me, Pekin."

"I couldn't be sure."

"I know."

Terrell fought with the sensation of sleep as it began pulling on his body, feeling himself sinking deeper and deeper into the silence. Yes, he would have let his little tree kill him; he would have saved her. Regret washed over him as he began wishing he had never left her – he wished his final moments could be spent with the darling girl; he wished he would have spent more time focusing on enjoying her company than trying to win this damn game – or – or trying to use her. He never should have tried to use someone so sweet and gentle; how awful could he possibly be –

"Terrell." His eyes flew open as the sinking sensation abruptly faded; coming face to face with a very bright, white world. But he recognized that voice; a small smile tugged onto his face as the tiny female stood before him, a matching smile on her own porcelain features.

"Cypress." The figment shook her head slightly, her smile turning melancholy. "No, not quite. I'm just a guide."

"Guide?"

"Yes, a guide. If you would please…" She held out her small hand – so very, painfully like his Cypresses – and he took it easily before she helped him to his feet. "I'm here to lead you to your next life."

"My... what? Next life?" She nodded, lacing her fingers with his before tugging the dark-haired boy along into the white world. He vaguely wondered what could possibly be here, considering there was no depth or… well, much of anything. It was all, plainly, white. Like walking into a blank piece of paper.

"I think you'll like it."

* * *

><p>Pekin sat with the boy until the breath left his body, watching nothing in particular. They didn't need to speak, but he could feel the boys regret radiating from him; along with the vague gratitude that the blond had sat with him in his final moments. A canon sounded and he looked down, noting the smile on his pale face with only some slight confusion. Standing quickly, he traded his mace for Terrells axe before he began the trek down the mountainous, snowy terrain. He had made sure to rid them of the other participants along the way as best he could; unless he was mistaken, it was him and Cypress now.<p>

It was time to finally face the tiny female to the death – and he was going to lose to his baby sister. She was going to live the life she always deserved, and never have to worry about these things again. He had done so many awful things that even if he were to escape he knew, deep in his heart, he would never be the same. Cypress, though… Cypress could do it. She could survive.

* * *

><p>Cypress woke with a bit of a scowl, rubbing her sore eyes before gulping down some much-needed water. It was in that moment she saw the birds again. The beady eyes stared at her curiously, heads tilting one way or another before they suddenly flew at her. Something of a screech tore past her lips as she practically threw herself from the tree; climbing down as quickly as possible as the birds painfully pecked and tore at her. She sprinted away, only to come face to face with another horde of the feathered demons; forcing her back towards the center of the arena. She knew this, and despite the dangers it posed, she let them force her there.<p>

It didn't surprise her to find Pekin in a similar situation; both siblings ran towards each other to escape the creatures chasing them so relentlessly. Cypress shuddered at the sight of the decaying creatures after her brother though; silently thanking God for small miracles that it had just been the birds. Abruptly, the animals stopped and stares at the duo now within speaking distance of each other; their gaze disturbingly intelligent as the siblings looked to each other.

Cypress noticed the axe, and suddenly the world went cold.

She had been hoping – praying, and begging, more like it – that it hadn't been her brother to murder the man she had grown so attached to. In her heart she knew, but she was able to delude herself while there was no physical evidence. Her pain turned to rage as he offered her a sad, bitter smile.

"He said to tell you he loved you," There was almost an audible crack heard as the female was suddenly crying, tears spilling from her eyes as she glared at her brother. "And that he wished he would have told you himself." She felt the sobs threatening to tear her apart again and tried to regain her composure as her grip on her mallet weakened to nothing and the weapon dropped beside her. The axe fell similarly and she found herself encased in her brothers' grip again.

"I'm sorry, Cypress. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He murmured over and over, and she was grateful that the game makers would give them a moment to have this. She knew it was only for the purpose of building their own dramatic ending, but –

Cypress felt the tears pause for a moment, realizing they were alone. How many had died? How did she always seem to end up talking to Pekin – where was everyone else? Horror began to wash over her and she cried harder; shaking violently at what this meant. God, they were the final two, weren't they? She was going to have to kill her brother. Her arms wrapped around the boy – who stiffened in surprise - as she tried to calm herself.

"Pekin." She whispered hoarsely and he inhaled sharply. "Pekin, Pekin, Pekin, Pekin –" He rocked her slightly as his name became something of a mantra. She wanted to tell him she was sorry, and that she loved him, and that she wished things didn't have to be this way.

But they had said all that before, hadn't they?

* * *

><p>Well, here we go. The ending is on its way, guys. Sorry this took ages to get out; I've had it ready for... ever. Ahaha;;<p>

Also, I have combined chapters and done some polishing to smooth things out for future readers [as of 1/26/14]; nobody panic, I didn't remove any content and it's all the same still. Nothing scary happening besides the longer chapters.

Anyway, reviews and input is much appreciated, as usual.

c:


	9. Chapter 9

Pekin stared blankly at the audience, feeling the weight on his heart only grow heavier as he was joined by the interviewer; who looked falsely sympathetic. They never could _really_ understand what it felt like. Watching his sister die had been one of the most painful things he had ever experienced.

Cypress was supposed to live.

Cypress was supposed to be here now.

His sister was supposed to go home, and yet…

"Pekin," The man called gently, only just-barely managing to gather the boys' attention. "Congratulations on your shocking victory." Shocking was an understatement. When he realized his sister had taken his knife he was prepared for her to use it on him – to stab him through the heart or back and kill him. He could finally die and be free from his guilt and disgust and his sister would be able to move on to live a happy, fulfilling life.

He hadn't expected her to cut her own throat.

_"I can't." Cypress whispered as her fingers curled around the hilt of his hunting knife, pulling it free as Pekin dropped his arms from around her. "I-I'm sorry, Pekin." He closed his eyes, accepting the fate he had chosen. Finally, it would all be over. The game was done; it was finally – _

_The blade made the distinct sound of falling and his eyes flew open – only to see his sisters neck slit open; blood flowing freely down her porcelain skin and soaking into her mediocre outfit. Her body collapsed and he heard a gurgling noise bubble out of the girls pale lips as he kneeled, too shocked to scream though tears pooled in his eyes._

_"Cypress, Cypress, no – this – this wasn't how it was supposed to be!" He hissed as he pathetically tried to cover the wound; soaking his hands in the young girls' blood as her eyes fell on his face. She watched his hysteria grow before the world faded away and the light left her eyes – Pekin vaguely heard the sound of a canon before the anthem began playing._

"How do you feel?"

"Empty. My sister… what she's given me is…" Pekin found himself falling back on the lines he and Spinel had rehearsed. "She's given me her everything, just as I gave her for so many years, but her absence is… its painful." The crowd cooed to him, making him resist a scowl and the urge to scream at them: _"You did this to us!" _as the conversation continued.

"I imagine you're happy to be heading home." Pekin nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I'm excited to be back with my family."

That was all the chatter with the interviewer consisted of, really. Pekin had tried to make himself out to be better than he really was; apparently he succeeded with the way everyone reacted. After shaking hands with a man he would have rather put a knife in, he was finally set free and returned to Peggy and Spinel. Both greeted him warmly, though Spinel had a bit more understanding as she pulled him into a tight hug. The woman had taken to trying to help him through his… issues with his siblings' death; he was almost happy to find they had become rather close in the few days he had been back.

Wrapping his arms around her loosely he promised himself he would get better – his sister didn't die to watch him be miserable for the rest of his life, after all. The bleak thought made him flinch before the trio made their way back towards their room; Peggy gathering a few things before they hurried towards the train.

Pekin didn't bother with goodbyes – which, as the train sped off, he felt a bit bad for – and instead hid himself in his room. District one wasn't as far away as some of the others, and as such he was happy to curl up in his bed and sleep the ride away.

Apparently, though, his now short-haired mentor had different ideas as she barged into his room. His shirt had been discarded somewhere in the floor and openly showed a large scar across his chest. Spinel almost sighed at the sight; remembering how she had wanted to scream at the boy to wake up before the Slyvanna girl managed to put the large wound across him. Luckily, it was more of a scare-tactic than a real threat; the scar remaining was only from their lack of proper medical equipment.

"Pekin, you aren't going to lay around and mope all day." She informed him as he rolled over; placing his back to her.

"Seriously," She sighed, walking to the edge of the bed. "Do you really think Cypress expected you to act this way when she took her life for yours? She was giving you the option to live. Just because you tossed it out at the beginning doesn't mean –" She was tugged down onto the mattress, the blond boy rolling over to straddle her as he glared.

"Spinel, stop." He demanded softly, his voice softer than his expression. "I don't want to think about her." Obediently, the oldest of the pair nodded her head.

"If you mean that, I feel sorry for you. You loved your sister, Pekin; horrible things happened to her in that game. It wasn't your fault." He flinched, remembering how violently he reacted after hearing about Cypresses… rape, while she was in the caves.

_"That… that bastard did what?!" Pekin felt white-hot rage flood his body as he snarled, not missing the way Peggy flinched as he smashed the nearest object against the wall. A vase, apparently, as Peggy grumbled about how expensive it was._

_"You're sister got raped in the caves by the boy from 9 and Terrell killed him." He had never felt such adoration for the other male than in that moment, silently sending thanks to him, wherever he ended up. There was no reason to hurt someone like Cypress that way – she was a sweet, gentle girl. Fuck, the only person she really killed – to his knowledge anyway – was Sylvanna, and he could honestly say he didn't blame her after this information was tossed to him. The girl stood by and _watched _him violate his sister; had Sara keep him distracted so he wouldn't catch them._

_God_damnit_, if he had known… if he hadn't left her alone…_

_"Don't, Pekin," Spinel murmured, watching him pace. "Don't do this to yourself. There's nothing you could have done differently."_

"I should have just killed myself before she had the chance to." Pekin muttered as he rolled off of Spinel, who scowled in response.

"That would have been idiotic. Cypress wouldn't have made it if you did."

"She didn't make it because I didn't!" Pekin shouted suddenly, causing the female to jump. "She could have lived and led a full life if she would have just killed me like she was supposed to!" He added heatedly, practically snarling as he stood and began pacing, the other occupant of the room watching sympathetically.

"No, she wouldn't have. Not without Terrell, Pekin." It was a sore subject for the blond boy, but she frequently told him about how close the pair seemed to be on screen – and they were probably more so off it.

"You and him would have haunted her for the rest of her life; she would have been nothing but miserable."

"She could have tried." He countered, voice cracking slightly as he sat on the bed and put his head in his hands; the tears coming without his consent. Spinel didn't hesitate to wrap him in a weak embrace; resting her head against his back as she sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Pekin."

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><p>Cypress found death rather horrifying, if she was going to be perfectly honest. The feeling of sinking into the unknown was the most awful thing she had ever experienced; when she saw Pekins broken expression she had immediately regretted her choice. Still did, to some degree. But opening her eyes to find a smiling Terrell in a seemingly endless, white plane of space washed away her immediate agony.<p>

"Hey there, little tree." He commented, offering her a hand that she quickly bypassed to tackle him into a relieved hug. He spluttered in surprise before offering a weak, confused embrace.

"Err... I'm not... really Terrell. I'm a guide – we choose the form you respond best to." Feeling surprised she quickly released the Terrell-lookalike and frowned in confusion.

"I'm here to lead you to your next life; Terrell – the real Terrell – is already ahead of you by three years now, so I would suggest we hurry and get you to your next life." He smirked lazily, grabbing her hand loosely and tugging her along.

"My... next life?" Millions of questions bubbled through her head as he nodded, leading her through the endless whiteness that was apparently death. One question caught her attention easily though, and she paused in their walk.

"Three years ahead of me?" A slow, smug grin found his face before he chuckled, shrugging. "Time is a human concept."


	10. Chapter 10

Here's the epilogue, guys. It's not a lot, but I figured I should probably try ending it on something less mysterious and dark. If you liked the Chapter 9 ending, you don't even have to read this. It's literally nothing important.

- Razz

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><p>Skyler huffed as she glared at the young boy, obviously trying not to pout as she tugged at his flamboyant green hair. He let out a howl of frustration – grabbing her own violet colored locks with narrowed eyes.<p>

"Stop it!" She squealed, not enjoying the way his grip only tightened on the curls; tightening her own in turn. The pair glared daggers at each other, both hissing out their frustrations like cats until the teacher approached and broke them up with a sigh.

"Enough, Skyler." The girl frowned, then smirked smugly when the teacher turned to reprimand the boy. She stuck her tongue out at him behind the elderly woman's back. "And you, Cael, need to calm down. You're three years older than her – act your age." Skylers' feathers were only mildly ruffled as she turned her narrowed emerald eyes on the teacher, pouting. Cael smirked in response to her expression, with his blue eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Now, go wait for your parents – the Games will be starting soon." Both turned their attention to the older woman, a discomfort they couldn't quite place flittering between them. Neither noticed they gravitated closer to each other. Their entire childhood was filled with talk of the "Hunger Games" and though neither fully understood what its purpose was yet, they could agree that they disliked the idea of it. Of course, _they_ weren't in any danger – being from the Capitol and all – but there was something distinctly… frightening for them. Skyler held a great deal of empathy for the Tributes.

Particularly when she heard stories about the 25th Hunger Games – nobody wants to be sent to die by your own District, after all. It hurt a part of her deeply, actually, to imagine it; though when she told her mother, the woman simply giggled and responded: "Oh, Skyler, honey, it's just a game!" before ruffling her hair.

"Cael?"

"Skyler?"

The pair glanced towards each other than navigated towards their parents – who just happened to be together at the time. Skyler smiled up at her mother – who was currently wearing her hair in bright green rings. It was always Skyler's favorite, when she wore it like that.

"We're going to watch the Games with Mrs. Blanchard tonight, isn't that lovely?" Skyler glanced to said woman curiously, who Cael frowned at noticeably before smirking at Skyler. Oh, that was never a good sign.

"Yes, I can't wait." She said with over-the-top sweetness, earning a squeal from Caels' mother as she wrapped her up in a warm embrace. It was as if the woman didn't see her every day of her young life.

"Oh, I can't wait to see who District 1 sends this year – oh! Or District 7 – they've never been able to top Terrell and Cypress, but – " Skyler glanced at her mother curiously before turning her attention to Cael, who was equally bored with the conversation before they were piled into a car and the four of them drove towards Caels' mothers house.

Well. Mansion.

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><p>Pekin sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose was he sat on the edge of his bed. The 30th Hunger Games. He couldn't believe he had already been doing his for six years – mentoring people just to watch them die in the arena. Well, not always, as District 1 had a high Victor rate, but even so it was nerve-wrecking. Spinel, of course, was always his partner in crime when mentoring, but even she was becoming weary with these games. Thinking of his lover, the older woman loosely wrapped her arms around him from behind; planting a soft kiss on his shoulder.<p>

"We need to go wake Thalia." She murmured into his exposed skin, and the boy let out a heavy sigh. His daughter was one of the reasons he was so pained by this. She was barely five, now, but even so he was having trouble imagining her competing in the games. Not that all District kids competed, but the very idea made him sick to his stomach. He didn't have the luck or pull necessary to keep his daughter from being drawn; that was enough to make him shudder.

"Alright." He sighed, running his fingers through his longer blond hair before the woman released him and rolled back over; trying to enjoy a few more breaths of sleep as he stalked towards his daughters' room. The door squealed when he opened it, though the tired bundle of blond curls didn't budge from her place. He walked towards her with some effort before gently waking the child – who immediately wanted to be held and forced her way into his arms – before digging out her nicest clothes for the day's events. She didn't understand yet what the purpose of the games was, but she was forced to watch them with everyone else.

At least he had the privacy of suffering in the Victors Village alone.

His sister's death had worn him down for a time, but with the help of Spinel the trauma had slowly began to fade away. His heart still ached for the girl who never got to grow up, but he had long laid her memory to rest in favor of making new ones. Much like the rest of the games, excluding his night-terrors and occasional panic attacks. The woman he now called his wife had assisted him in gaining some control of his life, and he wasn't entirely sure he would ever be able to properly thank her.

"Daddy," Thalia murmured sleepily, rubbing her eyes slightly as she glanced towards him. "I don't wanna go." He resisted the urge to sigh as Spinel came around the corner – already dressed, to his surprise – and smiled at them.

"You have to, baby." Pekin said softly, setting her on her feet before helping the tiny girl change.

"Why?"

"The Capitol says so." Spinel chimed in as she took over – brushing the girls' mane of blond as they sat in the floor before pulling it into a braid. The tiny girl was easily distracted from the conversation by her mother before Pekin left the room to make breakfast.

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><p>And it's over, folks! I may or may not make a sequel [I will eventually do some more polishing and add some content one day], but I probably will do some drabbles involving Cypress and Terrell. Maybe their reincarnated versions. I don't really know.<p>

I didn't get enough feed back in the poll, so I just went ahead and used the ending I had intended to in the beginning - though it is a teensy bit different than it was going to be. It's not exactly a "happy ending" but it isn't really tragic and heart-breaking either, so I figured it would be my best route.

Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through it, I appreciate your support.

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><p><span>Stats Upon Completion<span>

_Words: 27,074_

_Chapters: 10_

_Reviews: 72_

_Favs: 30_

_Follows: 36_

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><p><strong>Started: April 6th, 2012<strong>

**Ended: January 7th, 2014**


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